Getting Traught
by GothicRose13
Summary: Robin is framed for murder and theft, and the whole Justice League believes he's guilty.  Now he's on the run, with only the team believing his is innocent.  Can they prove it before the League finds them all?
1. Into The Night

Ok, my first fanfic hope you all like it.

Sorry if anyone is OCC. Hope writing camp paid off!

Summary: Robin is framed for murder and theft, and the whole Justice League believes he's guilty. Now he's on the run, with only the team believing his is innocent. Can they prove it before the League finds them all?

_This is when they communicate telepathically._

Sadly, I own nothing

At first, Robin couldn't believe what he had just seen. He was the only one in the room still staring at the monitor; everyone else, his team, the League, Batman, stared at him. Robin just kept watching the huge, holographic screen, frozen in shock.

Moment before, though it seemed like hours now, he and his friends were in the TV room, wondering how Superboy could stand to look at static for so long. They were also waiting for their mission assignment, but they were doing more of the first.

The team silently wondered why all of the League members looked so grim. No one asked, though, but it was clear they noticed. Then they had played the tape. It was security footage taken from Wayne Tech., showing a lithe, dark figure entering the large but empty room from the vents. The room held three computer chips, clearly of important value. The dark figure edged closer to the chips, and that was when dozens of armed guards came in. They advanced on the figure, speaking unheard words, trying to get it to surrender. That was when it attacked. It went around, punching lights out and knocking heads to the floor or pounding them against each other. That was when more guards came in. The figure looked like it had been beaten at first, then jumped onto the rafters, avoiding bullets. It pulled out two guns from its belt, and shot at least ten guards dead.

"Whoa." Kid Flash breathed from Robin's left. He had nodded, but KF didn't see. Batman had, though. He had been watching Robin the whole time.

Robin was just wondering about this when it happened. The figure jumped down from the rafters, dropped the guns, and pulled off its-or rather _his_- mask. Robin looked up toward the camera, grinning, and winked. Then he flipped away into the vents and disappeared.

The team all looked at Robin, shocked. Robin didn't know what to say. Surely he would remember doing this: but he didn't. There was one explanation. Someone was framing him. That was probably their mission, to find out who was doing this.

That thought died when he saw a grim looking Aquaman and Flash heading towards him.

"Wh- but I – I could _never-_ I don't-" Robin looked at his team. "That's not me! I swear! I don't know what's- you guys know me! I wouldn't do that, ever!"

Kid Flash was by Robin's side in a moment. He looked at the League. "Hold up. You can't just go and arrest Rob for this! We don't know if this is him or not! Someone could be framing him!"

"I agree." Aqualad stepped forward. "We know Robin, as do you. He would not ever commit such a crime."

"We thought so too." Red Tornado spoke up. "That was, until, we checked the air vents our…culprit…escaped out of."

"And?" Artemis asked. She wasn't buying any of this. She knew Robin, he'd never kill, he was just a kid, too innocent, too down to earth. She knew all too well what true killers were like.

"We found his DNA in the air vent." Batman said. He sounded just as steely and cold as ever, as if the thief was someone he didn't know.

The teamed stiffened. There was silence for a moment. Once again, Aquaman and Flash cautiously started toward Robin.

"Then it was planted there." Superboy stated, as if it would solve anything. The team nodded. They knew Robin better than the League. They believed he was innocent. Robin, who had been staring into space with a traumatic expression, finally looked up at Batman.

"Batman, please, you know that I would never, ever do anything like this ever. It's not me, I swear, I don't know what's going on but you have to believe me." Despite the youth's pleading voice, the Batman did not stir. He eyed Robin blankly. Finally, he spoke in a quiet, cold voice that the whole cave could hear.

"DNA doesn't lie, Robin. And it was on camera. Take him." He ordered Flash and Aquaman.

Instantly, the team went into action. Kid Flash and Aqualad jumped in front of Robin, water bearers out and fists clenched. Artemis aimed her bow at Batman and Superman, and Miss Martian and Superboy flanked Robin's sides. The League went into fighting stances as well, yet they did not advance. After all, only one was guilty of anything. Superman stepped forward,

"Team, we don't wish to fight you. I'm sure that, given time, we can figure this all out. Stand down." I was these familiar words that made Aqualad frown at the Man of Steel.

_Miss Martian, does he speak the truth?_

Miss Martian searched through Superman's mind.

_No. The League believes he is guilty. They want to take him in._

Aqualad scowled. "Apologies, Superman, but no. We know for a fact that Robin is innocent, and we wish to prove it."

"Yeah." Kid Flash agreed. "Even if it means breaking the law."

"What?" Aqualad asked, shocked. But it was too late. KF already attacked. Immediately, the League jumped into action. Flash ran after Kid Flash, while the JLA slowly advanced on the youths.

"We don't want to fight-" Black Canary started, but Artemis shot an exploding arrow at her, which she just barely dodged.

_Miss Martian! Get Robin to the bioship and to safety._ Aqualad ordered.

She grabbed Robin's hand and pulled him away. It wasn't easy; people were fighting around her, and Robin had spaced out after Batman's order.

"C'mon!" She said, and soon they were out of the main part of the cave and heading toward the bioship. But they weren't alone, of course.

Robin, who had heard the light footsteps, was forced back into reality and yanked Miss Martian out of the way just as a batarang flew over her head. They turned around. Batman and Martian Manhunter were heading toward them.

"M'gann, stop this foolishness! You are creating more trouble for yourselves than there needs to be. Turn yourselves in and-"

"I can't Uncle J'onn. I'm sorry. But I have to do what I feel is best for me and my friends." The powerful yet untrained Martian then held her hands out as another batarang flew toward them. A shock wave burst from her hands, sending Batman and Martian Manhunter hurtling backwards. It was then that the rest of the team came running in, looking winded and slightly injured.

"Wake up the ship!" Superboy roared, and Miss Martian did so. They were just boarding when the rest of the League entered. Miss M closed her bioship, and mentally commanded the bay doors to open (AN: don't know if it works that way but whatevs.)

"After them!" Superman commanded, but it was too late. The team, the brave foolish team who just took on the Justice League, had disappeared into the night.

Sooo…yeah I kind of got weak at the end, but I haven't done this much so don't hate me. Anyway, I'm happy to finally get something up here, I have lots of ideas, but I couldn't decide what would be best to start with. Sorry if I got anything wrong (fact wise) but I hope I'll find time to update soon. Please review!

GothicRose13


	2. Wayne Tech

OMG! I can't tell you all how happy all of your wonderful reviews have made me! Thank you all for being so awesome.

Anyway, here's chapter 2!

The bioship was silent for the next few hours. No one knew where Miss Martian was taking them, but no one wanted to ask. They just wanted to clear their heads and recap the night's events. Had they really seen Robin kill and steal? Was it wrong that they were to believe his pleas of innocence so quickly without knowing all the details? And why was the League so quick to accuse Robin? Robin was the first protégé. He had gone on so many missions with the team and Batman; he had fought countless villains, crooks, drug dealers, and thieves. He spent most of his time risking his thirteen year old neck out in the crime infested streets of Gotham. Yet, one tape, and the League turned on him. Unless… there was something else the mentors hadn't told them….

Wally shook the idea from his head. He turned to look at his best friend. Robin stared forward with an impassive expression. Wally remembered how his face fell after what Batman had said to him. It looked as though Rob had lost all hope in that moment. Wally turned forward and sighed- he would probably feel the same if his Uncle Barry had said something like that. But Uncle Barry wasn't nearly as cold as Batman. He wasn't cold at all.

Kaldur interrupted everyone's thoughts. "Robin." The young boy looked up. He looked different, sadder, not the bright, energetic, fun loving child they know and loved.

"We need to start addressing this…ah…problem. Has anything strange happened lately? Anything out of the ordinary?"

K F expected Robin to smile and say something like: "You mean other from going on missions and fighting criminals and psychos all day every day? Nope." But he didn't.

Robin shook his head. "No, sorry Aqualad. This just came out of nowhere." He gave a small, forced laugh. "Funny how your life can completely change in minutes."

There was a moment of silence. Finally, M'gann put the bioship on autopilot and flew over to Robin's seat. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We know you didn't do it, Robin."

"Yeah," Artemis spoke up. "You wouldn't hurt a fly. Only evil villains and psychopaths."

Robin gave a weak smile. "Thanks guys."

Kid Flash sat back. "No prob, man. We're your friends; we've got your back."

Superboy grunted in response. He was still a bit dazed after taking on Superman.

"Alright then." Aqualad said, putting on his 'listen up 'cause I'm the leader' voice. "First thing's first. We find out how to prove Robin's innocence."

"How?" Superboy asked. "We have no idea what happened, where are we supposed to start?"

"Hello Megan!" Miss Martian said, slapping her forehead. "The…ah… criminal…stole something! So let's go to the place he stole it from and look for clues!"

Wayne Tech. The thief had stolen from Wayne Tech. No doubt Bruce had people there right now on the lookout.

"Ah, guys," Robin said. Everyone turned toward him. "Maybe we shouldn't. I mean, the League probably has a good guess as to what we're trying to do, so they probably have people on alert everywhere."

"That is true." Aqualad said. "But this is our only lead. We will head to Wayne Tech., but we will have to remain covert. M'gann, you will need to stay here and keep a telepathic link. Robin will remain in the bioship as well. Kid Flash and Superboy, stay on the roof and keep a lookout. Artemis, you and I will sneak into the building via air vents and see what we can find."

"What? I can't just stay here! This all happened because of me, at least let me do something." Robin protested.

"No. The Leagues main priority will be to find you. Therefore, you will stay hidden until we can approach them with evidence that proves you are not guilty. We will not be long. Move out."

They had arrived at Wayne Tech. Robin scowled and crossed his arms as his teammates jumped out of the bioship in silence and onto the building's rooftop. Aqualad and Artemis snuck inside while Kid Flash and Superboy remained on lookout. M'gann telepathically linked everyone, and then turned the bioship invisible and flew it a few buildings over.

Their first unsupervised and biggest mission yet had begun

"What's wrong?" Miss Martian asked. Robin didn't meet her eye when he replied.

"Everyone's risking everything to help me out. This is my problem, and Aqualad doesn't even want me involved!" M'gann was surprised at Robin's tone. She had never seen this bright, optimistic friend of hers so torn. Then again, this had all happened so fast….

"We're a team Robin. We do these things together. I mean, don't you feel better knowing that someone has your back when you need it?"

"I guess so…." was his reply.

"There's something else bothering you." It wasn't a question.

"Remember when Aqualad ask me if there was anything out of the ordinary going on lately?" She nodded. "Well… there is something…but I didn't think it was significant…it's been bothering me though… I told Batman, of course, I mean, I thought it was nothing… his reaction was questionable, now that I think about it… I never really gave it any thought until now…."

"What was it?" Miss Martian asked cautiously.

"I've been having weird dreams." Robin said. "I've been… seeing things…."

"Like what?"

"Well, I saw some people get mugged, and people being robbed…important people… and they were getting hurt too. I also saw murders, lots of them. And in my dreams, I was also looking at it from the criminal's point of view."

"What kind of things exactly?"

So Robin told her about everything he saw in his dreams, who he saw and what the criminal did to them. By the end M'gann look pale green.

"Wh-" Robin began, but he was cut off by Aqualad's voice in his head.

_Is everything alright?_

_Yes._ M'gann responded. _How is everything?_

_Calm. We could not find anything, though. On our way-_

_AQUALAD, LOOK OUT! _Artemis' voice screamed in their heads.

"Aqualad? Artemis?" Robin asked frantically. If something happened to them, he knew it was his fault.

_Superboy, Kid Flash, come in. _Miss Martian thought.

_How goes it, beautiful?_

_Wally! _Robin scolded.

_We heard them. On our way in. _Superboy thought.

_Be careful. _Thought M'gann


	3. Trust

Did everyone see Secrets? It's my new favorite episode now.

Love you guys, thanks so so so much for all of your fantastical reviews!

On with Chapter 3!

Superboy and Kid Flash ran down the stairs as fast as they could, which was pretty fast since they both had super speed. They ran around bends and through long hallways until they found an area marked off by police tape. They could hear the sound of fighting from within the large double doors the roomed marked off, no doubt the same large, empty room from the security video that ruined Robin. Superboy kicked the doors open just as two or three sharp arrows whizzed past his face.

Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary were in there battling Aqualad and Artemis, who looked to be losing. Aqualad was dodging blow from the Flash and Aquaman, not making much of an effort to attack. Superboy thought he looked rather tired. Artemis was shooting at Green Arrow and Black Canary. Green Arrow was shooting arrows back at her. Every once in a while, Black Canary would jump forward and aim a few kicks and blows at her, then flip off to one side and let G A shoot at her. Artemis didn't look nearly as exhausted as Aqualad; she looked mad, furious even. This made Kid Flash mad as well. He ran full speed at Green Arrow, knocking him off balance and sending his bow across the room. Then, he dashed off again when his uncle saw him. They chased each other around the room for a little while as Artemis took on Black Canary.

Superboy aimed a fist at Aquaman's face, but was stopped by Kaldur's voice in his head.

_Stop! We must not injure them. They are still our mentors._

Superboy scowled and replied with: _When this is over and they apologize to Robin, then I'll apologize for this. _And with that, Aquaman was sent flying to the other side of the room, right into Green Arrow, who was just picking up his bow. (hehehe)

Superboy ignored Aqualad's glare as he went to help Artemis; but she didn't any help, as she had just gained the upper hand. Canary had seen Superboy approaching out of the corner of her eye, and on instinct turned toward him, giving Artemis the chance to send her flying against the wall and into unconsciousness along with Green Arrow and Aquaman.

The Flashes were still running around the room, trying to catch each other. Superboy sighed and stuck out his foot right after Kid Flash sped past him. Flash tripped over the Boy of Steel's outstretched foot, and tumbled forward, hitting his head in the process. He lay on the floor, groaning. There was a moment of silence between the four teens, and then:

"That was way too easy." Kid Flash boasted.

"No duh," Artemis said. "They barely put up a fight."

"They probably didn't want to 'hurt' us." Superboy said, saying the word hurt as if it disgusted him.

"There is something not right here." Aqualad said.

"They were waiting for us." Artemis explained to Superboy and Kid Flash. "When Aqualad and I got out of the air vents, they were just… here." She frowned. "I wonder how they got passed our lookouts?"

"Hey, don't blame us!" Kid Flash said. "We had the whole outside monitored."

"That can only mean that they were already here, lying in wait for our arrival. Robin was right, the League expected us to come here. They know what we are trying to do. They will be following our every step. We must continue this mission covertly to avoid being caught. This will not be easy. Our mentors know us well. They will know how to defeat us."

"Then why didn't they?" Artemis questioned. "And how did they know we would start here?"

"Because they know how we think, and how we would act. This will not be an easy mission." Aqualad hung his head.

"They never are… but why was it so easy to take them down?" Superboy asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"Hey guys?" Kid Flash asked. The other three teens looked at him questioningly. "Last I checked, there were more than four members in the Justice League." A moment of silence.

"DAMN IT!" Artemis screamed, and they were running through the building and up to where the bioship was, scolding themselves for falling into a trap.

"They know how we think, alright." Kid Flash mumbled.

**Back at the Bioship**

M'gann and Robin watched from a few buildings over as Superboy and Kid Flash disappeared inside Wayne Tech. Robin drummed his gloved fingers against the dashboard. _Please be Okay, Please be Okay, Please be Okay… _over and over Robin hoped. If his friends got hurt… it was his fault… they were doing this for him….

M'gann sighed. "Robin, everything will-" she froze.

"What? What's wrong?" Robin jumped up out of his seat and looked out the bioship for any sign of danger.

M'gann was clutching her head. "They're…trying to… I can't…oh." Miss Martian sank to her knees moaning. "No! Get out… please…." Robin knew this could only mean one thing: The League had arrived.

As if on cue, Martian Manhunter appeared in front of the bioship, his hands touching his temples. It didn't take the detective Robin was to know that he was the one causing M'gann so much pain. _How could he? To his own niece? _Robin thought. A few moments later, Superman and Wonder Woman appeared on either side of Martian Manhunter. He could see Batman standing in the shadows on the roof of the building they were floating above.

It was then, much too late, Robin realized it was a trap.

It may have been the fear or stress that prevented him from mentally contacting his friends, but Robin froze. He was scared, and he was alone. He couldn't take the four most powerful League members on his own. That was suicide.

Superman spoke. "Robin, we honestly don't want to harm you or your friends. If you cooperate, then all charges against them will be dropped."

"Wha…what charges?" Asked M'gann in a small voice.

"Harboring a fugitive." Superman responded. Robin flinched at the word 'fugitive'.

"No…No!" M'gann said, pulling herself back up. Her uncle looked surprised. Her mind was stronger than he thought….

"M'gann-" Robin started, but was cut off.

"We know Robin is innocent, and we will prove it, whether you like it or not!"

Superman frowned and turned toward the others. "We have no choice. Take them in, use whatever means necessary."

Instantly, Miss Martian flew out of the bioship and held out her hands. A blast of clear energy emitted from her hands, and the League members were blown back.

_Stay in the bioship! _M'gann mentally commanded Robin. He looked back toward the roof of the building. Batman was nowhere to be seen. Not good. That was the one mistake all the criminals and villains make- they turn their backs for a moment and he disappears. "Now I know how my friends feel." Robin muttered. He turned back to the fight. Wonder Woman had her lasso around Miss Martian, who used her malleability to slip out of it. She then used her telekinesis to pick up Superman and throw him into Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, who had levitated himself right next to her. "Sheesh." Robin breathed. Batman was still out of sight, but Robin knew better; he was somewhere, watching, lurking, waiting for the right moment to strike…. Which was when the others had gone down.

A batarang with a rope tied onto it wound around M'gann, but before she could escape, she was electrocuted. _Smart move, Batman. _Robin thought. _Waiting until she took care of the others so she could focus on you, and they could regain their strength…wait a minute... uh, oh… man am I out of it today._

Superman flew up behind Miss Martian and grabbed her. She struggled in his steely hold, but could not break loose. Robin was about to jump out of the bioship to help her when a blurry black figure rammed itself into Superman. Miss Martian fell toward the ground, but was caught by Kid Flash, who zoomed under her at the last second. Robin turned his head toward where Kid Flash had come from; Artemis and Aqualad were running over to them, and Robin thought that they looked rather tired.

Fortunately for the teens, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter were out cold, and Superboy was trying to kill Superman, so the hurried back to the ship. Who knows when the other Leaguers would wake up and join the fight? There was no way they could take on the League again: sure, they had gotten lucky the first time, but they had surprised the League, and then ran off after just minutes. However, the mentors now knew what the team was capable of when they were determined, and since the safety of the world came first, then if they ran into the League again, they wouldn't hesitate to attack. They would have to get out while they could. The team wouldn't be able to face the mentors until they got the evidence they needed to prove Robin's innocence.

"Superboy! We must depart, now!" Aqualad called. Superboy hated taking orders, but after a rather unpleasant talk with Black Canary about that situation, he now knew they were somewhat necessary. So, he turned around, leaving Superman in an offensive fighting stance and super leaped up to the bioship where everyone else was waiting for him. "Go!" Aqualad shouted, and the bioship, now invisible, flew off as fast as it could.

Robin slumped down in his seat. Once again, he had missed all the action. But he didn't miss Miss Martian looking at Aqualad and Aqualad looking back at her. She was using her telepathy to talk to him. Aqualad looked at Robin, and saw that he was already watching them. "Are you sure you didn't find anything?"

Aqualad was silent for a moment. He and Artemis exchanged glances; then he looked back at Robin. "Positive. Anything of value to this case is most likely in possetion of the League."

Robin nodded, but there was something off in Aqualad's tone. Was it fear? Confusion? He barely paid attention when Kid Flash told M'gann what happened to them, and she in return shared their story. After, there was a moment of silence. Then, Artemis sighed.

"This is just one big mess. Our only lead leads us to a trap. The League is on our tail. We have no clue what's going on in this case. We can't trust the people closest to us. How are we going fix this?" Everyone turned toward Aqualad.

"I do not know. We will just have to 'go with it', as you say, for now. But it will be worth it to help prove the innocence of our friend, when this is over." Aqualad glanced at Robin. Something flickered behind his silver eyes. Robin raised an eyebrow. What was that look in Kaldur's eyes? Suspicion? Cautiousness? It confused Robin. Kid Flash interrupted his thoughts.

"You know what the best part of this will be when it's all over? When the League apologizes to us- I mean, uh Rob." He corrected at Artemis' glare.

"When this is over?" Superboy scoffed. "Please. This is just the beginning."

**AN: Ah, cliff hangers. Authors love them. Readers, not so much. Anyway, I just want you all to know that I might be making everything up as I go along. I know that some things may seem unrealistic, like defeating the League so fast, but I will make a few small tweaks throughout the story so it fits the things I have in mind. That's what fanfic is, so deal with it. Sorry if anyone is OOC, and I apologize for the wimpy fight scenes, I'm not too good at those, but as the story picks up pace, I promise they'll get better.**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Nightmares

You guys are the sweetest! Love all of your splendtastic comments! I can't wait for Thanksgiving break. I have my stretchy pants ready.

Should I do a disclaimer on every chapter? Oh, well.

Chapter 4!

_Robin crouched in the shadows on the catwalk of the old, abandoned warehouse with Batman by his side. Neither spoke, but they didn't need to. They knew what to do. That was the great thing about their relationship; they knew what each other was thinking, so they didn't need to express themselves. _Although, _Robin thought with an alien sense of sadness and longing, _expressing yourself might not be all bad.

_He was shaken out of his thoughts by the soft beat of footsteps on the floor of the warehouse. The drug dealer that he and Batman had been waiting for trudged up to the nervous looking high school senior. Robin frowned. All drug dealers were bad, but the kind that sold to teens was the worst. Commissioner Gordon had mentioned this to Batman and Robin a few nights ago, about the deal going down now, how they were going to catch this gut by setting him up with the teen, who they bugged. It had been a slow night, so the Dynamic Duo had decided to monitor it, and lend an invisible hand if needed- or so Batman had said. Robin knew that the real reason they were there was to show Robin what could-would-happen if he went down the wrong road. But Robin had seen what could happen, and worse, more than any teen should. Robin had seen it all, he didn't need these lessons. But Batman had insisted… _

_Robin could hear the two figures below them mumble something. Then, the elder of the two reached into his pocket and produced a bag. That was when the police took action. They stormed into the warehouse, guns drawn, aimed at the drug dealer. The Commissioner stepped up front. "On your knees! Hands where I can see them!" Although he wore a hood that covered his face, Robin could practically see the smile on his face. He knew in that instant that something wasn't right. Batman tensed up. He felt it too._

_That was when dozens of men, all armed with large shot guns and rifles (_**AN: I don't know the names of any specific guns, sorry)**_ came storming into the ware house on all sides, aiming at the policemen. The teen, who had been scared enough, went into a fatale position on the cold, hard cement floor. The policemen (and women) turned their guns onto the newly arrived armed thugs. They barked orders to drop their weapons and get on the ground, but the thugs did no such thing. Shots rang out, and the police took cover behind various crates and other things lying around randomly, sending out their own shots. Batman and Robin jumped down from their hiding spaces and got to work, avoiding bullets and silently knocking each thug out with one or two blows each. Four or five guys surrounded Batman, but as Robin was about to intervene, he noticed the drug dealer escaping through a side door. Deciding that Batman could handle himself, Robin chased after the drug dealer, determined to do what they came here for. _

_Robin followed him out into an alley. He looked around, but found, much to his shock, that the drug dealer had disappeared. Robin crept into the shadows, looking around slowly, getting into a fighting stance. A dark, steely chuckle echoed down the alleyway._

"_Looks like the bird wandered from the bat. Are you lost, little bird?" Robin glanced around for the source of the voice, but found none. He saw a shadow in front of him move. He looked up to see a shadowy figure on the fire escape of the building next door. He reached for his utility belt. _

"_Ah, ah, ah, there will be no violence between us tonight, Robin. But I promise you, when the time comes, we will have our big soiree. Until then, I'll give you a little something to remember me by." The mysterious figure's words confused Robin at first. Then, his neck started to sting. He felt as if he got stung by a wasp. Then, the nominal pain subsided and Robin looked up to see the figure had gone. Cursing himself for letting himself be distracted, he started back inside the ware house; now quiet, to tell Batman of the strange figure. But, as he neared the entrance, he found he could not remember what had happened only moments before. It seemed like a dream, a thought that faded into the back of his mind, lost forever._

_Confused, the young acrobat entered the ware house to find all of the thugs either wounded on the ground or being dragged off by police officers. Robin headed to the front entrance and stepped outside to see all of the police cars and vans taking the thugs (_**I really have no other name for them**) _to prison. He turned his head to see Batman standing in the shadows talking with an exhausted looking Commissioner Gordon. Robin headed over to them as the Commissioner went to consult with the other officers. Batman looked down at him._

"_Where were you?"_

"_I, uh, went outside."_

"_In the middle of an ambush? When we could have used your help? What made you suddenly decide it was okay to leave?"_

_Robin honestly couldn't remember what had happened when he had left the ware house. He knew something happened, but what? He racked his brain as fast as he could, for he knew Batman was not happy with him right now and would take his hesitation as a sign that he didn't know what to say. So Robin decided to wing it._

"_I, uh…saw one escape, and uh…followed him?" Batman squinted at him in deep suspicion. _

"_Well?"_

"_Well what?"_

"_Where is he?"_

"_Oh, uh… he got away. Sorry." He mumbled the last word. He was in big trouble. Not only had he lied to Batman, the man he admired most in the world, but the lie had been a pathetic spur of the moment excuse. Batman glared at him intensely. Robin knew that he had really messed up tonight, and lying wouldn't help his cause. Batman knew how he thought, he knew when Robin lied._

_Sick of the silent glaring, Robin sighed, looked up and said, "Cleaning the Batmobile for the next two weeks?" The Dark Knight shook his head. "Four weeks?" Another shake. "Six weeks?" He nodded. "The Batcave too." Robin moaned. "You know, some might call that child abuse." Batman raised an eyebrow beneath his cowl. "I call it a warning." Robin shut up after that. They headed back to the Batmobile, unaware of the dark figure watching them from a nearby rooftop. The figure, both dark in appearance and personality, smiled wickedly._

"_Soon, Robin, soon. Your eyes will be open to a whole new world, one where you will belong, where your talents will be recognized. Soon, you will see The-" _

Robin woke up to the sound of screaming.

**In The Batcave**

Batman played the security video over and over again. It was painful to watch, and watching it more didn't make him feel any better, but he felt that he just needed to. He didn't feel as if he missed something, because he would have caught it already. Instead, he felt as if he wasn't missing anything, that everything he needed to know was right in front of him. And that feeling was worse.

Did he want to believe that Robin committed these crimes? No, of course not. Did he want him arrested and tried for murder? He was thirteen, for crying out loud! But the evidence was stone cold- DNA from the crime scene, witnesses, it was on tape goddammit. An alibi was out of the question, since it had taken place after school, when Bruce was at a meeting and Alfred was shopping for groceries. Dick would have been home alone, and could sneak out all while avoiding the cameras and getting back home in time. There were no cameras in his room, since Bruce respected his privacy, so they couldn't tell what he had been doing if he had been home. Which Bruce hoped with all his heart he was.

But the evidence said otherwise.

Batman paused the tape and gave and exasperated sigh, rubbing his eyes. He hated this. He couldn't keep hunting Robin like some criminal. He hated how the League was treating him- they referred to him like he had always been a criminal. How they could turn so easily against their protégés…did they believe that this was Robin acting of his own accord? Or did they think something was up and didn't want to show it? After all, here anything was possible. Batman had seen it all. Or so he thought.

"Master Bruce?" Batman looked up at the sound of Alfred's voice. Alfred had taken this situation very hard. He didn't believe that it was Robin in that video for one second. They knew Robin better than anyone, there was no way this was possible… but it was. And look at the mess it had made. "Miss Gordon called. She wants an update on the case." Batgirl had taken this as hard as Bruce and Alfred, but her verbal reaction was quite different. She had started yelling, demanding that this be looked into, that this would never happen, that, and I quote, The League was "a bunch of untrustworthy, slimy, pea brained morsels with no souls or compassion what so ever." Of course she had thrown some very inappropriate language in there as well, but Batman had blacked that out of his memory.

"Tell her nothing yet, Alfred. She needs to be patient. We are doing everything we can to help with Robin's case."

"You mean you are." The butler corrected. "The League doesn't believe his innocence. But we do. And last I checked, you were the, excuse me, smart one."

Bruce sighed again. Alfred had been saying lots of things like this lately. He would back Bruce and Dick up in every situation, no matter what.

"I don't know what The League thinks, Alfred, and I don't care. I need to focus on finding the team and sorting this out. Tell Barbara she's not to get involved. Red Arrow and Zatanna have been informed of the situation as well, and they are not to get involved either." He knew it would not be easy keeping the team's allies from helping them. That's what they were for, anyway. He would have to keep tabs on them.

"So you do believe of Master Dick's innocence." It wasn't a question. Everyone thought Bruce had given up on Dick, that he would catch him and bring him in like any other criminal. He remembered Robin's face, drained of hope, back at the cave. Was he faking it? Or…?

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Alfred." Bruce said quietly. He stood up. "But right now, my full focus is on helping The League find Robin, whatever it takes."

"Yes, but not for the same reasons as them."

"What do you mean?"

"Your intensions are not the same. You want to find Robin for another purpose. I know how you feel about the boy, Master Bruce; you would never do anything to intentionally harm him. You wish to get the truth from Robin's side, yet you are blinded by your duties as a hero."

Bruce was stunned for a second. It takes a lot to stun Batman, but the butler had pulled it off quiet well. Finally, The Batman spoke.

"I'm working with The League on this, Alfred, one hundred and ten percent. Like I said, whatever it takes to get him back."

The butler turned and headed back up toward the mansion, saying "Then why haven't you told them about the tracking device you planted on Kid Flash?"

**AN: Procrastination, and author's best friend and worst enemy. Does anyone know why other authors have Artemis call Wally Baywatch? I like it, but I don't know where it came from. Anyway, this chapter might be a bit boring, but it's very necessary to the story. And just to clarify, the beginning that was in italics was a dream.**

**REVIEW!**


	5. A New Lead

So I've seen all of the episodes more than once, but I never caught her saying Baywatch until I just went over it. Thanks to everyone for clearing that up for me. I just want to say that I'm with Aqualad on the mole situation: I honestly don't think there is one, so that won't be part of the story. Thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 5!

Robin blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his vision. _Where am I? _He thought. Then it all came flooding back to him. They were in the bioship. He had fallen asleep, and… had a dream. No, not a dream, a memory. He remembered the drug dealer's ambush, seeing as it had only been what, a month and a half ago? It seemed like it had been years since he could peacefully work at Batman's side. Robin rubbed his eyes, suddenly remembering that it was screaming that had woken him up. He looked up to find everyone crowded around him, looking worried.

"What?"

"You were having a nightmare." Aqualad responded. "You were yelling in your sleep."

"Oh, uh, sorry guys." Had that really been him? Robin found that his throat burned ever so slightly, and believed it.

"That's okay. Not like anyone else was sleeping, anyway." Artemis said. It took Robin a second to realize that she wasn't being sarcastic for once, for everyone looked like they hadn't gotten any sleep in a while.

He turned to look out of the window. It looked to be about midday, so he had been sleeping for longer than he thought. He wondered where they were headed, but decided he didn't care as long as they were far from The Justice League. He looked back at his friends and saw that they were exchanging glances.

"Are you having a telepathic conversation without me?" He asked. They all turned to look at Robin questioningly- all but Wally. He wasn't surprised he noticed so quickly. He was the Boy Wonder, after all.

"I was just telling them about the dreams you had, Robin." M'gann said with an innocent smile. But Robin saw past her in an instant. Her eyes were full of uncertainty.

"What's going on?" Robin asked. They looked at each other, their features etched in worry and confusion. Finally, Aqualad spoke.

"Have you been watching the news lately?" Robin shook his head slowly, wondering where their Atlantean leader was getting at. "M'gann described your dreams to us. The things that happened, the crimes, the people you saw…." He trailed off, eyeing Robin with a blank look that seemed out of place on Kaldur.

"So what does this have to do with the news?" Robin asked. Once again, his teammates looked at each other, their expressions unchanged. Finally, it was Wally who spoke.

"So your dreams match recent crimes committed lately." The Speedster said. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was watching the ground steadily.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked quietly after a moment of silence.

"The events you saw in your dreams… they happened I real life." M'gann said.

Robin was quiet. Finally, after what seemed like hours, all he said was, "Oh."

"What were you dreaming about just now?" Aqualad asked. Everyone else looked up, alerted and curious.

"Huh? Oh, it was just a memory. One that I actually remember being in." He told his teammates about the time he and Batman monitored a drug dealing bust (?), and how the drug dealer had actually expected them and set up Gotham's police and Dynamic Duo. Robin told tem all of the details, except for the part where his memory failed him. When he finished, the team was quiet. Kaldur broke the silence.

"And you could not remember your reasons for going outside?"

"No, but it must have pretty important. I just… I can't remember." Robin recalled how much it had bugged him after the ambush, but had gotten over it in a few days. Now, the annoyance was coming back to haunt him. He barely realized that everyone had turned to look at M'gann.

"M'gann? Can you help him?" Connor asked. M'gann blushed at her boyfriend and nodded. She rose from her seat and glided over to a wary Robin. I wasn't that he didn't trust her, because he did. He didn't like the feeling of someone being inside of his head. He was the mysterious one, and it was so not asterous when someone went around in his personal thoughts. M'gann put her hands on either side of Robin's head. Her fingers were soft, but cold. Robin swallowed and closed his eyes, praying she didn't go anywhere she shouldn't. Some of his memories were, without a doubt, downright horrific.

_I'm going to connect everyone else's minds so they can see too. _M'gann said softly in his head.

_Great._ Robin thought in a less than enthusiastic manner.

_Don't sound too excited._ Artemis thought. It was as if the team was eternally linked. **(Seems like it sometimes, right?)**

Almost instantly, Robin found him and his teammates being plunged into a memory where he went into a side alley in hot pursuit of the drug dealer. He was nowhere in sight, but then a figure appeared on a nearby rooftop. Robin prepared to fight, but the figure said something, and then Robin's neck stung. The figure disappeared, and Robin fell to his knees. He stayed on the ground for a few minutes, and then got back up, as if in a daze. He then headed back inside the building.

Robin blinked, finding himself back in the bioship. He was startled to find M'gann on her knees, clutching her head. Conner was at her side in a moment.

"What's the matter?"

"My head, it started hurting. I don't know why, this has never happened before." Everyone was looking at Robin, who found himself rubbing his neck where he had felt the sting.

"What? I don't know what happened." No one was surprised to find that his tone was annoyed. Everyone was blaming him today….

"How come we couldn't hear what that guy on the roof was saying?" Kid Flash asked.

"I…I'm not sure…it was as if there was something in his mind that was blocking my powers."

"Last I checked, I couldn't do that." Robin said. His tone was stern this time, but he was getting worried. Was there something wrong with him? Why had his neck stung? Had he been injected with something?

"This case truly is getting strange. I do not know why, but I feel that we must go back to the alley in which this exceptional confrontation took place. We may find something there. When did this happen, Robin?"

"About a month in a half ago, around the time those other dreams started."

Although no one said it out loud, everyone but Robin knew the crimes he saw in his dreams only started a month before.

**In The Watchtower Meeting Room.**

The founding members plus Green Arrow, Black Canary and Red Tornado sat at a large table in the Watchtower's meeting room. They were discussing the only thing they were able to focus on at this moment: finding the protégés. It was crucial that The League finds them before they get into even more trouble. They could have just come quietly, but no, they had to be stubborn, they had to defy direct orders, and now look at them. No one in the entire Justice League would admit it, but they were a bit nervous that they wouldn't find the teens in time. What if their digging for the truth got them in trouble with some villains, criminals, or psychopaths? Or what if they found some piece of information that rocked them to the core? They couldn't decide which was worse.

Being The Justice League, the safety of the lives of the civilians always came first. Their job was to maintain international peace and to protect the innocent. No civilian could imagine how hard it would be for them to fight against their loved ones if that's what it took. They had done a good job concealing their emotions from the team during their first two run-ins, but how long until one of them cracked? No matter what anyone thought, it wasn't easy for them. Not one bit.

"Let's get down to business." Superman said. The League looked up at him tiredly. Now that they were alone, they could be sad all they wanted. "We need to find out where they are going to go next. Since we weren't able to catch them at their only lead, then we need to think of any other possible place they will head to next. Any thoughts? Batman?"

The Dark Knight didn't respond right away. The League referred to this as an open and close case, so there weren't really any other leads. So where would they go?

"I have an idea." Barry piped up. Everyone groaned. Using an idea from Barry was like using an idea from a monkey. "Hey, it's a good one, I promise." Then again, Barry would do anything to find Wally, so maybe he put some effort into it. "Let's put ourselves in their shoes and think like them." Or not. "If I were Wally, where would I go?"

"The nearest all you can eat buffet." Black Canary said flatly. Barry frowned.

"No! Well, yeah, but I mean in this situation."

"Okay, let's see." Green Arrow said. "If I were a teenager trying to outsmart The Justice League, then where would I go? What would I do?"

"I… would think differently." Hal Jordan said. "I would do something they wouldn't expect so they couldn't find me."

"Hold on," Batman interrupted. "Are we really going along with Flash's plan?" Flash glared at him.

"Well, it seems to be working so far. Green Lantern might be right about them doing something we wouldn't expect. They know we're not easily tricked, and they were trained by the best, so there is a chance they may know how to handle themselves." Wonder Woman claimed.

"Or," Batman said, getting annoyed now. "Maybe they found out something we didn't. They are looking into the case, so maybe they have a new lead."

"There is no case, and there is no other lead. We know what happened; we just have to catch them." Superman said sternly. Then he sighed. "Listen, Batman, I know this is very hard for you, but you'll have to put him in a different place right now. People got hurt, and we have jobs to do."

It was quiet for a long time. Then Batman said, "I wouldn't expect you to know what it's like. It's not as easy to 'put him in a different place' as you think."

Superman was silent. He turned toward the rest of The League. "Is there anyone they could have gone to for help? I know they have a few allies."

"Red Arrow is being monitored and has been told to report any sightings of the team. Zatanna is being closely watched by her father. I've taken care of Batgirl."

"Poor Batgirl." Barry muttered. No one ever wanted to be 'taken cared' of by Batman.

"So now what do we do? Wait for them to show up?" Aquaman asked.

"Yes." Batman said. Everyone looked at him questioningly. "They're looking for evidence, remember? When they believe they've found some, then they'll come to us." The idea had just come to him, but if he kept The League out of it for a time, he could get a while to work in the Batcave.

Superman eyed him cautiously. "That sounds risky. We might have to wait for a while. What if something happens?" He didn't bother to elaborate. They had already seen the worst.

"You have a better idea?" Batman asked. The Justice League watched them carefully. This meeting had become one of Bruce and Clark's big showdowns. Superman pursed his lips.

"Are you sure you have no way to track them?"

"Positive. Robin destroyed the chip in his belt." He still hadn't told them of the tracking device he got on Kid Flash at Wayne Tech.

"Alright. We do this your way, for now. We trust you on this, Bruce." Clark's eyes narrowed. So, he did suspect Batman of hiding something.

"Good."

**AN: for those of you who asked I MIGHT put in some Robin/Zatanna. I know I've been asked, but some more of our favorite characters will be appearing, I just have to pace the story so everything fits.**

**PRESS THE REVIEW BUTTON. IT IS YOUR FRIEND.**


	6. Discoveries

Ok, so I've determined that I will be putting in a LITTLE bit of romance, but NOT THAT MUCH. I just wanted everyone to get that.

Oh, and to those of you who think this will be predictable, you couldn't be more wrong :oD.

Thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 6!

M'gann left the bioship in stealth mode above the warehouse. Robin hadn't been here since the ambush, but it looked exactly the same, inside and out. The team swiftly and silently scaled down the side of the worn building, and landed out front.

"Kid Flash and Superboy, stand guard out here. See what you can find, but stay alert. Everyone else, come with me. Yes, Robin, even you." Aqualad ordered. "Miss Martian, link us up. Move out." The team did as they were told, and went around, looking for clues.

Robin went straight up to the catwalk where he and Batman had been observing the deal at first. He put his hands on the railing where he had been kneeling that night, and turned his head toward his left. He remembered Batman standing there, and the way he had all of his focus on the teen and drug dealer. He could practically see his mentor's determined scowl.

"Robin! Anything?" M'gann asked. He blinked a few times and shook his head.

"No, sorry. Just…just keep looking." Miss Martian gave him a strange look, and Robin knew it was her empathetic powers kicking in. But she turned away and kept using her telekinesis to move boxes around.

Robin sniffed and turned around, heading toward the wall. There, he removed his mask and wiped away the tears that had just started forming. He quickly put his mask back on, as that was a risky move on his part, and gathered himself up in one deep, shaky breath. He was glad no one had seen that moment of utter weakness. Robin would have to keep himself together if they were to finish this mission. He would need to be at his strongest. He slowly started to examine the catwalk, his sharp eyes determined not to miss anything. After a while, he sighed.

_Has anyone got anything?_ He thought tiredly. He was met with a chorus of bleak _No's._

_We're gonna keep looking though. No worries, man._ Kid Flash thought. Robin couldn't help but smile. He was suddenly very thankful for his friends. He couldn't imagine doing this alone. He would have defiantly been contained by now.

_Do scraps of clothing and blood stains count? _Artemis thought. _Cause I found some._

_That's probably from the crossfire. Just from the thugs and Gotham police. _Robin responded.

_Well, that's great 'cause we don't have anything else._ Conner thought.

_Keep looking. There must be something here. Kid Flash, Superboy, go to the alley. We will meet all of you there._ Aqualad demanded. Once again, everyone did as they were told.

Robin flipped down from the catwalk, landing gracefully on his feet. He headed over to the door he didn't remember going through and met his team on the outside. Superboy was standing on the building next door, right where the mysterious figure had been. The rest of his team stood on either sides of the alley. Robin, knowing what the team had in mind, went to stand where he had hidden in the shadows that night. He looked up at Conner.

"Have you found anything?"

"No. This guy must have been good; it took me a whole minute to climb up here." He was such an egoist sometimes.

"Try using different vision." M'gann suggested brightly. Conner nodded then squinted, and disappeared as he went to scope out the rest of the other building's rooftop. While he was busy up there, Robin started to carefully look around the alley. His teammates saw what he was doing and followed in his lead. After a little while, Superboy reappeared at the building's edge, shaking his head. He jumped up, and then landed hard on the ground. He would have crushed Kid Flash had he not dove out of the way in time.

"Dude!" He exclaimed as Artemis helped him up. Conner grinned wickedly. "Sorry Wally."

Robin looked back up to where the figure had been a month in a half ago. Why were they even here? No one had entered the warehouse since the ambush, but anything worth of finding had to be gone by now. He remembered staring up at the figure. His hand went to his neck, touching the place where it had stung. That was a very small detail, but he felt as if it meant something… maybe he was inje-

"Well, this is a lot of nothing!" Artemis exclaimed. "Just what we need, another dead end."

"Dude, you okay?" Kid Flash asked Robin. He was still standing in the same place, hand on his neck.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah… I'm… sorry guys, I'm just a bit out of it." Everyone exchanged surprised glances. Aqualad stepped forward.

"We understand, Robin. Don't worry; everything will work out in the end." He gave a supportive smile. Robin smiled back, yet his was a bit weaker. "Thanks, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Perish at the hands of The Justice League?" Artemis suggested, but she was smiling.

"Yeah, probably." Robin sighed. "Public enemy number one."

"That's not true; there are lots of people worse than you. Luthor, Savage, Joker, Dea-"

"Shhhh!" Superboy said all of a sudden. Instantly, everyone got into a defensive stance just like the paranoid heroes that they were. Robin froze. Was it The League? Did they find him? The bioship had been invisible, and Robin had completely destroyed the chip in his belt. Was someone else chipped? It wasn't likely. The other heroes didn't take any of the precautions Batman took- which was every precaution. Robin looked at Superboy, whose head was cocked.

"I heard something," he whispered.

_Or someone._

Aqualad took out his water bearers, and Artemis loaded a few arrows on her bow. Kid Flash leaned back, one foot in front of the other, as if he was preparing to run a marathon. Miss Martian flew a few feet up in the air, her hands extended. Superboy held up his fists and bent his knees, as if he were about to jump on something and start pounding it, which he would probably do. Everyone looked around carefully and slowly, trying to determine if there was a threat, and where it was coming from.

"Let's go inside the ware house. From there, we can head up to the roof and go." Everyone did as Aqualad said, like always. No one cared if they still hadn't found anything, if there was danger, they wanted out. Robin was still frozen in his spot. Kid Flash crept over to his best friend and pulled him toward the door. Artemis opened it, and jumped back, screaming in pure fright when she saw a figure in front of her.

**In The Batcave.**

Alfred poured Bruce steaming hot tea as he typed away at his gigantic computer. Bruce hadn't left the Batcave since he came back from the meeting. He had spent the better part of an hour calling and canceling meetings and apologizing for not being able to attend bug exclusive parties that were taking place soon. He needed all the time he could get to work on Robin's case. He couldn't remember the last time he slept, and he had been living off of Alfred's tea and sandwiches. He had Batgirl taking care of patrol. He needed to keep her busy, and fighting all of Gotham's crime by herself would surely do it. He was keeping tabs on her nonetheless. Batman was all about taking every precaution.

So far, Batman hadn't gotten anywhere. He had searched through the criminal database countless times, but didn't find anyone who would want the computer chips. They were very valuable, and held schematics of a very powerful electromagnetic pulse machine, one that would be powerful enough to wipe out the electricity in an entire country for a very long period of time. Batman pursed his lips. People couldn't live without technology for very long. If the EMP was built and used, it could send America into absolute and utter chaos. He knew how psychos worked. They like to inflict pain upon others with their own ideas, and do it themselves. Building a big and powerful machine just wasn't fun for them. Besides, they would lose power, too. Just because Batman's enemies were evil didn't mean they weren't smart, because some of them were doctors, like Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes. Alfred gave him a questioning look.

"Is everything alright, Master Bruce? Any luck?"

"No, Alfred. If Dick was being controlled, then I have no idea who did it, much less how."

"Maybe it was Mad Hatter, sir? Or Gorilla Grodd?"

"No… I have this strange gut feeling that this is much bigger than them"

"Who, then, sir? Luthor? Or maybe Ra's al Ghul?"

"Could be, Alfred, but I'm going to keep digging. I have to find something. I need to."

The Batcave was silent for a long time. Finally, Alfred spoke up.

"There is something we must talk about, Master Bruce."

"Oh? And what would that be, Alfred?" Batman wasn't paying his faithful butler much attention at the moment. He was too busy digging in his computer to focus on anything else.

"How does Master Dick know that you are on his side in all of this?" The butler questioned. This actually startled Bruce for a moment. That's two for Alfred.

"I'm Robin's mentor, Alfred; I'm with him on everything. He knows that."

"I don't think he does, sir. By what you've told me, your actions so far in this don't seem to benefit Robin's side of the situation. He knows quite well that you are working with The Justice League on this case, and I think that he thinks you're sided with them."

Batman remembered how Robin had pleaded with him in the cave. Batman had turned against him in that second, but he never thought it possible that they were able to escape. Now all he wanted was to get Robin back. He remembered what Wonder Woman said during the meeting in the Watchtower. They were trained by the best. They would know where to hide from their mentors. They wouldn't be found if they didn't want to be.

"Robin… might be confused about this for the time being. But when I find him, I'll tell him I'm doing everything I can to help."

"I'm afraid you'll have to do more than that, Master Bruce. It may take some time, but you will have to convince him that you can be trusted again. Right now, his trust in you is probably waning. When this is over, you will need to show him you were wrong, and to apologize. Actually, an apology is in order for the entire team from The Justice League."

Bruce sighed. "You're right, Alfred. When this is over, and it won't be for a while I feel, I'll owe Dick and his team an apology."

"Will you, now?" Came Superman's voice from behind.

**AN: I don't think I did a good job of portraying Alfred. It's pretty hard, which is strange, because I'm usually good at wise people. Oh well, practice makes perfect. I just want to let everyone know that I'm going out tomorrow and won't be able to update. I've updated every day so far, which I somehow had time to do while balancing my school work and keeping in honor roll. So consider yourselves lucky. Does anyone know when Misplaced will air?**

**REVIEW!**


	7. Allies

Sorry it's been a few days I needed to catch up on school work and other stuff. Misplaced better air within December or I will get really upset.

Does anyone want to write a one shot of Robin/Zatanna fluff for me? There aren't enough.

Thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 7!

Artemis screamed in surprise and jumped back, bow ready. The figure, which had just been about to open the door, shrieked as well, and took a few steps back, hands extended. Everyone jumped into fighting stances.

A few seconds later, the figure put its hands down, sighing with relief. "Oh, it's only you. God, did you scare me."

"Zatanna?" Artemis asked. The team looked at each other, clearly surprised. What are the chances Zatanna would be here the same time they were? No one released their fighting stances. They didn't know what side Zatanna was playing for. She could be a spy for The League…

Zatanna, ever sharp, noticed this. "I spend, like, a whole day looking for you guys and this is the thanks I get?"

"Can you blame them? They're being hunted by The Justice League, anyone would be on end and suspicious." Heads whirled around to see Red Arrow and Batgirl standing behind them. They had been so focused on Zatanna that they hadn't heard them come around the corner of the building.

"You heard about that?" Robin asked Batgirl in a small voice. She nodded.

"The League told us themselves." Red Arrow said. "No way has the public known about it."

"They told you? How come?" Aqualad asked, surprised.

"To tell us to stay out of it." Zatanna said with a mischievous grin. "Or to inform them if we happened to see any of you sneaking around." She grinned at Robin when she said the last part. He smiled back.

"So are you here to turn us in?" Artemis asked. She pulled a bow back, getting ready to release it.

The three heroes looked shocked, almost offended.

"Of course not!" Batgirl exclaimed. "We're going to help you."

The team looked at each other, surprised.

"You are?" Kid Flash asked. "But The League said-"

"Since when have we ever done what The League says?" Red Arrow asked distastefully.

"Yeah. They're really out of it right now. They probably didn't even notice we snuck away from the radars they think we don't know about."

"What do you mean?" Aqualad said.

"They were having us watched." Batgirl explained. "But they're focused more on all of you at the moment." She turned to Robin. "We know about everything, and want to help prove Robin's innocence."

"Yes. They're way out of line right now. You've all done a lot for them, and then they thank you all by putting you through this… it's sickening." Red Arrow said angrily.

The team finally lowered their weapons and straightened from their fighting stances. Aqualad looked around cautiously. "Let's continue inside the bioship."

So the team, Batgirl, Red Arrow and Zatanna climbed or flew or super jumped to the roof. There, they got back inside the bioship and started drilling their allies.

"How did you three come here together?" M'gann asked with a bright smile.

"That was my doing." Batgirl claimed. "I knew the second I heard about this that I needed to help you guys, but I had no idea how to find you. Then I remembered that you had other allies, so I went to find them using the Batcomputer, which I did hack into." She looked at Robin, who had no doubt taught her that. "When I snuck them away from The League members assigned to monitor them-"

"_You_ snuck us away? Please, I was the one who got us away from Captain Atom, he almost caught us!" Red Arrow exclaimed.

"Anyway." Zatanna continued after seeing that Batgirl was glaring at Red Arrow. "Right after _we_ snuck away, I used a tracking spell to find you guys. After the first six, uh, blew up in my face. What were you doing here?"

The team exchanged glances, unsure of what to tell their friends. They were supposed to trust their allies, that's what they were for, but they had close ties with The League. Could they trust them? Right now, it was Young Justice versus the world.

"We were, um, looking for evidence." Miss Martian said sheepishly. She blushed at how pointless her voice had sounded. What were they expecting to find in an abandoned warehouse, anyway?

"Okay… why here?" Red Arrow asked. "Isn't there any place else you could be looking? Wayne Tech?"

"We went there already." Kid Flash said. "Nada."

"So why are you here?" Batgirl asked. Zatanna cocked her head. The team exchanged glances again.

"What, you don't trust us?" Zatanna asked.

"I don't blame them." Red Arrow said, though he was frowning. He had been friends with half of them for years. "I'd be wary too."

"You're always wary." Kid Flash said. RA glared at him. Robin laughed.

"It's not funny!"

"It's funny because it's true!" Red growled and leaned back, arms crossed.

"So, why were you here?" Batgirl asked. Being part of the Bat family she was smart, and had been keeping track of the conversation.

"We were following a lead." Robin said. His team looked at him. "What? I trust Batgirl." Batgirl smiled.

"Why would there be a lead here?" Zatanna asked.

"Ask Robin, it's his memory." Everyone looked at Artemis. "What? We might as well tell them everything."

"Since when are you so trusting?" KF asked. Artemis gave him a dirty look.

"His memory?" Barbara asked. So the team proceeded to tell their allies everything that happened since they left Mt. Justice. They took turns, sparing no details, as even the smallest one could be important. When they were done, Red Arrow wanted to see Robin's memory of the ambush. Robin agreed to show his companions. He didn't remember it very well, but was sure it held some sort of significance. He needed to see it as much as he could. M'gann closed her eyes and put her hands to her temples, and everyone was plunged into Robin's memory.

He paid close attention to everything as Miss Martian replayed it. He tried to get a better look at the figure on the roof, but couldn't see his face or match a voice. He felt his neck sting, then turned around and headed back inside. He felt slightly embarrassed that everyone had to see Batman chew him out for running off, and then they were back in the bioship. There was a moment of silence.

"And you don't remember that?" Batgirl asked Robin. He blinked, and then shook his head.

Red Arrow and Aqualad started having a conversation about what they thought they should do next, since they had just encountered another dead end. Their teammates pitched in ideas every once in a while, but to no avail. Robin didn't pay attention. He was lost in thought, trying to find out who that mysterious figure had been. He didn't even realize that he was rubbing his neck where it had stung.

"You okay?" Zatanna whispered from behind him. Robin blinked, and then turned around. Zatanna smiled at him, and he smiled back. He thought she was very beautiful, with her sparkling blue eyes and her black as night hair. She was also so glamorous, and rebellious and mysterious…

"Are you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" She looked concerned now. Robin gathered himself up, cursing himself for once again losing his cool. What was it about Zatanna that did that? He probably looked like a lovesick puppy. He hoped she liked puppies.

"Yeah." He said, smiling again. She grinned back, then leaned forward and said in a quiet voice, "You don't have to do that with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, I know it's probably really hard for you right now, but we are going to fix this. So don't worry about anything, 'kay?"

"'Kay." He wasn't at all surprised she could see right through him. She was smart. He started rubbing his neck again. He stopped at Zatanna's concerned look.

"It's just, uh, bothering me, that's all." He said.

"Let me see." She said leaning forward. He let her pull his collar down, her warm fingers running along his neck. He felt his face grow hot when Kid Flash wiggled his eyebrows at them.

"Hmmm." Zatanna said. Instantly, Robin was on alert. Somehow, everyone else heard her too, and did the same.

"What's the matter?" Aqualad asked, leaning forward.

"Uh… you might want to see this." Zatanna said. Robin started to panic.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Chill dude, it's probably nothing." Kid Flash said. He grinned at Robin, whose face went red.

"Hmmm" Aqualad said. He face was stern.

"What? What's 'hmmm'? Stop saying 'hmmm'!" Everyone looked at him incredulously. Robin wasn't one to freak out in these situations. Then again, he had been under a lot of stress lately.

"There's a… mark on your neck." M'gann said.

"So?" He felt someone touch a spot on his neck.

"Weird. It's… hard. I think there's something there." Artemis pressed her finger against the spot on his neck again. Robin's blood ran cold when he realized it was where it had stung him.

"Maybe he was injected?" Red Arrow asked.

"How? Who could have done that without him noticing?" Superboy asked. He always over estimated heroes.

"It could happen." Batgirl muttered. Robin glared at her. She glared back.

"We must take it out immediately." Aqualad insisted.

"How?" Superboy asked.

"Oh, no." Robin muttered. The next few minutes would not be whelming. Not at all.

**In The Batcave**

Superman stepped forward, shaking his head. "We trusted you on this, Bruce. You of all people should know that work comes before personal matters."

Batman tensed up, his hand slowly reaching toward his utility belt. Alfred stepped back into the shadows of the Batcave.

"You all want me to find Robin, and I am. I'm doing this my way, Kent."

"I thought you believed he was innocent." Superman sighed. "Batman, I know this is a really hard time for you right now, but-"

"Save your pep talk, Kent, I know what you were going to say. How I need to face facts and do what's best for the world. Only you would think it's that easy. You wouldn't know how hard it is to turn against you own son. But then again, it wouldn't be that hard for you."

Batman took the kryptonite out of his belt and held it out before Superman could respond. He fell to his knees, clutching his arms, moaning. That was when the Watchtower decided to call Batman.

"Watchtower to Batman, this is John Stewart."

Batman carefully set the kryptonite down next to Superman and went over to answer, infinitely grateful that he was out of the camera's view.

"Batman here. What is it John." Everyone knew that Batman was in an exceptionally sour mood lately, so this must have been pretty important.

"We've lost sight of Red Arrow, and Zatara can't find Zatanna. We suspect they went to find the team. Do you know Batgirl's current location?"

Batman brought up a map of Gotham City, expecting to see a blinking light somewhere that marked Barbara's location. He found none. He sighed.

"She must have destroyed the chip in her belt. Let's hope the three of them found the team."

"Boy, everyone's going rogue today." John muttered. Batman gave him a look that could blow a hole in the space time continuum.

"Uh… what I meant was, uh… Watchtower out." The screen went dark.

Batman turned back to Superman, and ducked as a ray of red light just missed his face. Superman, after much struggling, had been able to kick the kryptonite away, and dove for Batman. The Dark Knight threw three smoke pellets in his direction and ran for the Batmobile, praying for a miracle. But he knew the second he felt a strong, steel hard hand on his shoulder that it would take more than that to hold his own against an angry Superman without any kryptonite.


	8. Rising Suspicions

Sooo I kind of took a little break because I was tired. Like none of you have done that.

Anyway, stop guessing what will happen. I love you guys, but it's annoying.

Thanks for the reviews! Disclaimer, yadda yadda….

Chapter 8!

_Another robot exploded as Martian Manhunter hit it with a shock wave. Almost the entire League was here, fighting Professor Ivo's new, advanced machines. Robots that looked like giant lupine creatures, with razor sharp claws as long as Robin was tall. Everyone but Batman was here fighting them in the middle of Star City. Green Arrow had requested full League assistance, but who knew where the bat was? The rest of The League had showed up, though, and destroyed each of the creatures one by one. But not two of the twenty stayed down before they rebuilt themselves. Ivo sat in a bench by the road, eating some popcorn he probably stole while laughing loudly._

_The Justice League had been fighting the Lupines for hours, and their strength was slowly depleting. They would not give up, however; if there was one thing a hero never, ever did, it was give up. They would fight until the end of their days, keeping the world safe. Finally, after hours of not stop fighting, The League huddled together._

"_We need a plan." Flash said. He could barely stand up due to lack of food. _

"_Agreed." Martian Manhunter said._

"_An EMP? It would shut them down long enough so we could disassemble them." Wonder Woman suggested. _

"_Yes. I'll head over to Wayne Tech., see if they have one." Superman scowled at mentioning Batman's company, as he still had not shown up. The League nodded. They knew Batman's secret identity, and that he would help them- he better, since he had missed the fight so far._

_Superman was gone for about twenty minutes. As fast as he was, he had to fly all the way to Gotham, talk to Bruce's scientist (since Mr. Wayne wasn't there- he was at a 'conference'), and carry and EMP all the way back to Star City. By the time he got back, the Lupines were trying to finish off Flash, who was at his knees, and the hawks, which they had managed to knock out. He set up the EMP and let the pulse go._

_That was when it happened._

_The Lupines fell to ground, but when The League moved in to disassemble them, a blue mist with a slight silver tone blew out of the robots with a high hissssssss. The League (civilians had long gone to safety) was enveloped in the mist, which they all inhaled. Then, the mist disappeared, fading into the air and the heroes' lungs, leaving them coughing. Professor Ivo sat on the bench clapping and saying, "Oh, wonderful! I thought you morons would never think to use an EMP! Guess you proved me wrong." He laughed, and then turned himself in without a fight, which was good since The League was exhausted._

_After John Stewart, Zatara, the Hawks, Captain Marvel, and Captain Atom had taken away Ivo and the Lupines, the rest of The League member gathered around to talk._

"_What was that strange mist?" Aquaman asked._

"_Dunno. Never saw anything like that before in my life." Flash said, shoving popcorn into his mouth. Green Arrow knocked it out of his hands, mumbling something about catching Ivo's crazy._

"_Well whatever it was, it could be dangerous." Superman said. The rest of them nodded in agreement. "We should get tested the moment we head back to the watchtower."_

_Green Lantern came back and said, "Ivo has been taken to Belle Reve, and his robots to STAR Labs."_

"_Thank you Green Lantern. We should go to the Watchtower and get looked at as soon as possible." Superman replied._

_John's eyebrows went up. "Looked at for what?"_

"_That strange mist…." Superman started, but found he didn't know what he was taking about._

"_What mist?" Wonder Woman asked._

"_What's he talking about?" Green Arrow asked._

"_Are you well, my friend?" Martian Manhunter asked._

"_I… yeah. Strange. I don't know what made me say that." A mist? What had he been talking about? What had they been talking about before Green Arrow arrived?_

"_Let's head back to the Watchtower." Superman said trying to ignore the stares the rest of the League was giving him. They nodded in agreement and got beamed up by Hal Jordan, who had been on monitor duty. _

_They didn't even notice the dark figure watching them from a rooftop, and how it smiled darkly. _

**In The Bioship (unfortunately for Robin)**

"OW!"

"Apologies, my friend."

Kid Flash, Superboy, Red Arrow and Zatanna held Robin to his seat as Aqualad tried to get out whatever was in his neck. Well, the boys held Robin down; Zatanna was holding his hand, which he was squeezing the life out of. She didn't seem to mind, though.

When Aqualad had declared they try to get the strange object out of his neck, Robin tried to run. He hated hospitals and doctors and all things medical; especially when it was him being worked on. Everyone had grabbed him immediately, and held him down to his chair while he struggled, but eventually gave up. That is, until Aqualad said they might have to make a slit in his neck. Robin had gone berserk.

"WHAT! Are you CRAZY? Do you know how dangerous that is?" He could have sworn that there was a bounty on his head, the way everyone was trying to kill him lately.

Finally, Batgirl had been forced to use some sedative spray that the members of the Bat Family carry around with them. Robin, however, had a strong immunity to it, forcing Batgirl to use all of on him. Even with the whole bottle, Robin was still awake, but slightly woozy and out of it.

Aqualad had been poking at the mark, and tried to squeeze it out, since it seemed to be pin shaped. He silently expected it might be a needle of some sort, which meant it had a sharp point that had gotten it in somehow. Maybe he could squeeze it out, like a splinter.

That hope died as soon as he saw that the skin had grown over it. Aqualad wondered how long it had been in his skin. Robin moaned, and Artemis who had been next to Aqualad said quietly, "I think you should very carefully make a cut and try to get it out then."

Robin, whose senses had been scrambled with the sedative spray, heard Artemis. "NO! Don't…don't even…." He dizzily looked at Zatanna. "You have pretty eyes." He said in a ditzy way. She giggled.

Aqualad glanced at Artemis. "I agree with Robin; that could be very dangerous, especially since none of us were trained in that way. We could injure him. It is a chance I do not want to take. But I do not wish to leave this strange object in his neck. There must be something we could do."

"Hello Megan!" Miss Martian said, bumping her forehead. She was steering the bioship to a remote town Red Arrow had recommended they hide in. "I could use my telekinesis to try and take it out! Or Zatanna could use a spell, if she wants." Heads turned to Zatanna. She looked away.

"I'm, um, not very good with using my powers for medical issues. Almost gave my cousin Zach the plague when I tried to heal his broken arm once. They're actually pretty difficult. Sorry."

"It is alright. Miss Martian, can you try to remove it?" Aqualad asked her.

"Sure!" M'gann said cheerfully. She flew over to a half conscious Robin, who tried to pull away from her. "Hold still." She said, but Robin, who was still very dazed, just moaned and struggled more.

"Robin! Stop moving." Batgirl scolded. Robin turned his gaze to her lazily.

"B-be quiet, Babs, I'll do whatever I want." He didn't seem to remember what was happening.

"Where have I heard _that_ before?" Batgirl muttered, rolling her eyes. Zatanna leaned down and whispered in his ear: "Eb tnelis dna llits." Robin stopped moving at once, and stayed still as M'gann closed her eyes, concentrating on the object in his neck. Her eyes opened, glowing green.

Robin let out a little shriek of pain as the object ripped its way through his skin and came to a stop in midair in front of M'gann. Blood leaked its way down Robin's neck. Zatanna conjured up a handkerchief with a quick "htolc raeppa" and held it to his neck. He moaned again, tilting his head around loosely.

M'gann set the object down on a tray so everyone could see it. Aqualad had been right; it was a needle, long, sharp, and mage of a sturdy yet incredibly light material. He frowned, looking at it intensely. Whatever it was, he was very glad they found it.

"It seems," Aqualad said, getting everyone, even Robin's attention, "That Robin has been injected."

Red Arrow came to Aqualad's side, looking at the needle. "What do you think it injected him with?"

"I do not know." Said Aqualad. He hated not knowing. It was his job as the leader to know everything that went on with his team.

"Break in two, see if anything's still in there." Superboy suggested. Robin had started struggled and groaning again, and he had to keep him held down.

Aqualad gave Red Arrow a questioning look. He shrugged. "Do whatever, Kaldur." Was all he had to say.

Miss Martian held the tray under Aqualad's careful hands as he broke the needle in two and put it back on the tray. A few drops of a strange blue liquid with a slight hint of silver in it came out. Zatanna, who had been watching, jumped up as if she'd been shocked.

"Don't touch it!" She said loudly. Everyone turned to look at her with shocked expressions. "I know what it is! Don't touch the potion!"

"Potion?" Kid Flash asked. Robin tried to hit him on the head, but Wally caught his hand and held it down."

Zatanna nodded shakily, looking at the 'potion' fearfully. "I read about it in my dad's book. It's called The Blue Trance." She met each of their eyes shakily.

"It's the most dark and powerful compulsion spell in existence."

**AN: I'm gonna stop there. I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with Batman and Superman just yet. I'll decide in school tomorrow. Ugh. At least I'll have something to do there. Suggestions? Realistic ones. But NO guessing. The Blue Trance is completely made up by the way. I'm good at naming things.**

**REVIEW!**

**GO ON, PRESS THE BUTTON!**


	9. Horror and Anxiety

Who here is pissed that we aren't getting any new episodes until 2012? Because I know I am.

Ok, I'll admit I knitted some of your ideas into the story. I'm thinking of either giving it a climax and conclusion, or twisting it so I'll have to make a sequel.

It will probably be the second option.

Also, I just want to say that Zatanna is my all-time favorite superhero, so I'll be giving her lots of glory throughout my story.

Anyway thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 9!

"What in the hell is The Blue Trance?" Kid Flash asked. Ever since Zatanna had told them what she thought it was, she had gotten some looks. How would she know about a dark spell that presumably controlled people?

"It's a powerful and dark potion used to control others." She explained. Zatanna would meet all of their eyes nervously, but always went back to Robin with a worried and somewhat suspicious expression. "It was used in a war in the magical plane centuries ago. It's really powerful, and only the maker of the potion can use it on the victim. It can be submitted to them in any way; they can drink it, bath in it, inhale it, inject it…"

"How does it work?" Aqualad asked the young magician.

"Once the potion is inside its victim, the maker can manipulate them any way they want. The victim literally becomes their puppet. They can control their actions and mind. But it's very dark, and after the war, the recipe was destroyed and the potion banned. But even in the magical plane, people break the law. I know my father's seen it once or twice."

"And how do you know about this?" Artemis asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. It was the same suspicion that was on everyone's faces.

"Like I said, I read about it." Zatanna declared, her eyes shifting nervously. There was something she wasn't telling everyone, but there were more important things to do.

"So, if this stuff was inside of Robin," Superboy said, "and if it's what you say it is, then someone was controlling him."

"Exactly." Zatanna confirmed with a nod.

"Well, I guess we found out what happened with the little Wayne Tech. incident." Batgirl said with a satisfied smile. Everyone else smiled to. They had almost forgotten about that, they had been so consumed with their discovery.

"But he doesn't remember any of it." Miss Martian said. Everyone turned to Zatanna.

"Like I said, it messes with the body _and_ mind. Whoever is controlling him probably blocked out his memory."

The bioship was silent for a long time. This was clearly the work of a powerful and skilled enemy. They didn't know who, which was pretty bad. But whoever it was had been controlling Robin like a puppet, and could do absolutely anything they wanted to him. That thought scared everyone. They didn't know when that person –if it was a person- could take hold of Robin again. They had no idea what else they made him do…. Wait. Yes, they did. Robin's dreams, the ones of the recent crimes where they couldn't find the criminal. Could it be?

Finally, Red Arrow broke the silence. "Is there any way we can extract the potion from his bloodstream? Can you use magic?"

"It's magic resistant. He'll have a bad reaction." Zatanna replied.

"Do you know who could have done this? Anyone?" Kid Flash asked desperately. Zatanna was silent. She looked away and shook her head. The team once again got that feeling that she was lying.

Suddenly, Miss Martian gasped. Then, a big smile came over her face. "Hello, Megan! We have evidence! We can go to The Justice League now!" The team and their allies looked at each other happily. M'gann was right; they had found what they had been looking for for the past few days. They could now face their mentors once again, and have them look into the case. Then, they would get their apologies. Kid Flash grinned widely at the thought. He would have to make a mental note to get it on video. No, he wouldn't forget.

No one had noticed that Robin had sobered up, and had understood everything Zatanna was saying. No one saw that he was silently panicking. He was being controlled. Someone, probably an enemy, was influencing him to do crimes that he couldn't remember. They were inside his head. They could probably control his thoughts. When would they strike next? What would they make him do next? Robin started to breathe deeply. Miss Martian felt his strong, terrified emotions from across the bioship.

"Robin? Are you okay?" M'gann asked worry and fear laced in her tone.

Everyone instantly turned to look at their comrade, unaware that he was aware of what they had been talking about.

"We can't." He whispered. His voice was strained and scared.

"Can't what?" Superboy asked.

"Go to The League." Robin clarified.

Everyone looked at Robin in shock. Isn't this what they had been waiting for? Didn't he want The Justice League to apologize to him? Why couldn't they go back? This was to prove his innocence, after all.

"Why not, my friend? What troubles you?" Kaldur asked, confused and curious.

"My dreams!" Robin exploded. Everyone jumped. "Isn't it obvious? I did it. It was me! I hurt those people, I'm the one the police and Batman are looking for, and I killed all those guards and stole the computer chip! It was all me. I… I'm a murderer." He collapsed onto his seat, head in his hands. His shoulders started shaking, although he made no sounds. Zatanna went over to him, and put her hands on his shoulders comfortingly.

"So…so it really was Robin." Artemis said. Looks like they wouldn't get those apologies after all.

"We do not know that." Aqualad said in a stern voice. "And if it was… We know that Robin was being controlled, and we have evidence of it." He gestured to the broken needle on the tray. "But we will go to The League. If we calmly explain our findings, then they might be able to do something. We could leave the rest of the case to them, and maybe Zatara can find a way to help Robin." Leave it to Kaldur to always look at the bright side.

"And if that doesn't work?" Superboy shot. "What if the very moment they see us, they break out inhibitor collars and arrest us? We'll all get convicted, and no judge will side against The League."

"Connor, they're our mentors. They'll hear us out." M'gann said softly. Connor only crossed his arms and grunted in response.

"I think it is time we finally head back to Mount Justice." Aqualad declared. M'gann meekly turned the bioship around and started home. There was heavy tension in the air. It was clear from Red Arrow, Batgirl, and Superboy's expressions that they didn't think this idea would work. Others, like Kaldur, Wally, and M'gann trusted their mentors and had faith that they would hear them out.

Miss Martian couldn't stand the tension and silence, so she projected the news channel onto the front of the bioship so everyone could watch it. She immediately regretted it when she saw it was a segment on The Justice League. It was showing clips of big fights that happened recently, and then the people hosting it would praise the heroes for their generous and courageous duties. M'gann sighed, and was about to shut it off when Zatanna jumped up and yelled,  
>"WAIT!"<p>

Everyone jumped. "What?" M'gann asked. "Look!" Zatanna said, pointing.

The news channel was showing a fight from about two months back. The Justice League was fighting Professor Ivo's gigantic Lupine Robots. Of course, the news people only edited their footage to show when members would get the upper hand, which wasn't often in this battle, so they got to the end pretty quickly. Superman had just disabled them with an EMP generator, and blue mist with a silver tone came spilling out of the robots. The League inhaled it, and then the smoke disappeared into the air, as if it had never existed at all.

"The Blue Trance." Zatanna whispered. "The Justice League is under the influence of The Blue Trance. Someone is controlling them." She turned to the others. "We can't go to them now. The potion's maker will know. We'll get in trouble, they could attack us. This is bad, really, really bad."

Aqualad hung his head. They couldn't go to their mentors now, they were possessed. Whatever they said, the potion maker would hear them, and they would get attacked. They would have to figure this out on their own. Wait….

"How would the potion maker know?" Aqualad asked.

"Huh? Oh, he has full control, body and mind over them. Whatever they do, he knows about." Zatanna and everyone on the bioship knew what Aqualad had realized in that moment. "Uh, oh." Zatanna said. Everyone turned to look at a very frightened Robin.

"Guys!" M'gann suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to turn around! We're almost at Mount-"

It was then that Robin started to spasm and an unknown, outside force attacked the bioship.

**Back at the Batcave**

Superman's fist collided with Batman's face. The Dark Knight flew backwards, crashing into the Batmobile with a crashing sound. He moaned, and tried to get up, but stopped when a sharp pain shot through his stomach. He looked up to see The Man of Steel standing over him.

Something was not right here. Superman looked furious and vicious. This wasn't like him. Batman suspected something was going on right then and there. Like always, he wasn't wrong.

Superman picked him up by grabbing the part of his costume where the cowl and cape connect. He looked at Batman with his angry blue eyes, and Bruce swore he saw some silver in his eyes as well. Yep, something was definitely wrong. Superman tossed him back onto the Batmobile with another sickening crunch as the metal dented under him.

Bruce tried to get up again, but there was more pain then before, and he collapsed. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Superman saying into his comm link with an impassive, almost robotic voice, "I caught Batman working on the case, like I suspected. I'm transporting him to the Watchtower for immediate interrogation."

**In the Watchtower's interrogation room**

Batman awoke with his wrists bound to a tabletop with thick steel. His feet were bound to each chair leg, and the room was filled with security cameras and speaker. Still, his team would have to do better if they wanted to keep Batman contained. He had been in, and gotten out of, worse.

"Good, you're awake." Superman said as he made his way into the room. Batman instantly noticed something different about him. His face was drained of all emotion and color. His voice was impassive and calm.

"Clark, I don't know what's going on, but I will find out. I think- no, I know- that there's something wrong with you. You're not acting like yourself. None of you are. You're all hunting down children-our children- like they're dangerous criminals."

"They were trained by us. They could turn and already know how to be criminals, since they fought so many."

"Exactly. They fought so many; they know how heartless and brutal they can be. They know how much they hurt people, and work hard to save others. Think of all they've been through. They can't just all turn after the things they've seen."

Nothing changed in Superman's face. It stayed cold and relaxed. "They're recent behaviors have given us reason to treat them like the enemies they are. They will be hunted, fought, captured, and brought to justice like the criminals they are."

Bruce stared at Clark. When he saw that the Kryptonian was dead serious, he said, "Clark, listen to me. There is something wrong with you. You need to let me-"

"Enough. You are here for interrogation. I will ask the questions, Bruce Wayne." Clark said his name in an almost mocking manner. "How long have you suspected Robin of being innocent?"

"Always." Bruce said immediately. He might as well keep Clark distracted as he worked to free himself.

"And how long have you been working to help them?"

"Since I saw the video."

"Do you know their current location?"

"No-AAHHH!"

Unfortunately, Superman had caught Batman fiddling with his restraints. He socked him in the torso, leaving Bruce gasping for air. He was about to strike him again when his comm link went off.

"Superman." He said blankly. He listened for a minute. "Hmmm. Very good, restrain them immediately." Clark looked at Bruce. "It seems the children got tired of running and decided to turn themselves in." Superman suddenly grinned evilly. Bruce frowned. He didn't doubt they found the kids, but he knew they hadn't 'turned themselves in.'

"I'll see to it that they're properly restrained. I'm sure Robin would love to share a cell with you. That way, you would be the first- and last- to know his sentence."

And with that, Superman left Batman in the dark.

**AN: In case you couldn't tell, I don't really like Superman. My friends finally started reading this, so I'm kind of nervous, but I'll still update regularly, if they don't bug me about it in school. Still ticked about new episodes in 2012.**

**REVIEW!**

**Please? **


	10. The Accident

Nope, 2012, I'm dead serious. Anyway, I've decided that I'm officially ticked off.

92 reviews with only 9 chapters? I'm feeling the aster. I should use more of Robin's terms in my story. He actually made a lot of them.

Thank you to all who reviewed! You rock!

Chapter 10!

The bioship was hit from the bottom, and hit hard. The teens were thrown from their seats and onto the floor, Robin still spasming. His arms flailed wildly around him, and his breathe hitched. He couldn't control himself. His neck started to burn.

The bioship was hit again, this time from the side. Aqualad looked out the front window to see both Green Lanterns there, using their power rings to strike the ship. It was hit again from the side, and the bioship tilted. Miss Martian got a hold of it and tried to fly it away, but something hit it from the back. The Hawks flew to the front, and the Green Lanterns headed toward the ground. Zatara and Wonder Woman appeared on the sides, and then flew up above the bioship. The children screamed in shock as a large dent appeared on the ceiling, and the bioship plummeted toward the ground.

**In the Watchtower interrogation room**

Batman, now slightly frantic, tried desperately to pick the locks on his wrists. After a few minutes of fumbling, he had to stop and demand that he take a deep breath and calm himself down. It wasn't easy, though. His brilliant mind was swimming and thoughts and accusations and explanations and emotions raced through his head. What was the matter with Superman? With The League? What had been with the blank look and voice? He was acting so strangely…Batman thought back to recent events. What happened that's making his teammates act the way they are? Whatever it was, he didn't seem to be affected by it. Or maybe he was, but it was taking longer… but why would it take longer for him? Made it was on a mission he didn't join them on? He didn't join them on lots of missions, he preferred to handle Gotham that way the other heroes handled their own cities. And if something happened, he expected the rest of The League to fix it themselves. They were all adults, they didn't need to call Batman to help them with every little problem they had. Think, Batman, think….

He suddenly remembered, about two months ago, when he had ignored a distress call from Green Arrow. There were robots attacking Star City, but Batman was in the middle of a fight with the Joker; he had knocked Robin unconscious by sneaking up on him with a crowbar and had Harley tie him up and hang him over a vat of bubbling acid. You could say a very angry Batman had his hands full.

At the Watchtower the next day, he had nonchalantly asked Wonder Woman how it had gone, but she had been confused. She stated that she didn't remember a fight with "wolf-like robots" as Green Arrow had put it. Batman had found that very suspicious, and went to find Superman to ask him. But Batman found that Superman didn't remember a big fight with Ivo's Robotic Lupines either. Batman was about to go around the Watchtower to investigate further, but once again the entire League was summoned to a battle with the evil wizard Mordru in Metropolis. So, Batman had let the matter rest, but the last couple of months had been strangely busy with large crimes, and he was preoccupied with keeping the world safe. He let the situation drop, but hadn't forgotten about it- Batman never forgets.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on his bound wrists. About three minutes later he had freed himself, and got up, testing out his stiff joints. He headed over to where he suspected the door was, since it was still dark, and felt around for a knob. When he found it, he slowly turned it, and carefully pushed the door open, careful not to make a sound. He stuck his head out and glanced around, then went out into the hallway, bent over slightly and limping thanks to his previous encounter with Superman.

He suspected that the Watchtower was empty and swiftly and silently glided down the halls and through rooms until he found the monitor room. He opened the door and looked around cautiously. No one was here, which was a major mistake in his book. Someone always had to be at the monitor. What if they got a call? What if there was trouble? Batman made a mental note to kill everyone later.

That would have to wait. Right now, he needed to reach the children. He had to stop The League from hurting them. He was 100% convinced that there was something wrong with them. Well, he always thought there was something wrong with a few of them (Barry) but now was different.

He turned the monitor on, and connected into the Cave's security cameras. He couldn't call it because someone from The League would pick up, and he knew they knew he was currently against them for the time being. Instead, he turned to the security cameras outside. Hovering high off the ground was the bioship, and the Green Lanterns, the Hawks, Wonder Woman, and Zatara were attacking it. Wonder Woman flew so she hovered above it, and shot downwards, forcing the bioship to plummet down to the ground.

Batman gasped in shock. What did she think she was doing? She could kill them! He needed to get to Mount Justice as fast as possible. He shut off the security camera, not wanting to see the potential mess, but couldn't react to the reflection he saw in the window fast enough. Superman came forward, and in seconds, Batman was on the ground.

In a very impassive, cold voice, 'Superman' said, "The light will be pleased."

**At Mount Justice**

The bioship was falling. It fell towards the ground at alarming speed. The teens held onto their chairs for dear life, but they had been high in the air and knew that wouldn't stop what was to come. They braced themselves for the impact.

Aqualad tried to yell over everyone's screaming to stay calm, but if there was one thing they couldn't do, it was that. In moments they would hit the ground and become pancakes.

Well, it would be moments for everyone but Robin. Time was moving very slowly for him. He was still twitching, and he felt as if someone was pouring hot oil into his head. That's when he saw pictures. He recognized them immediately: they were of the crimes that had been happening lately. The ones he committed. Tears fell from Robin's eyes, tears of guilt, fear, horror, disgust, and pain- all directed at himself. And he was going to die knowing he was, in fact, guilty. And his friends, who risked everything to help him, were going to die too. All they had done for him had been for nothing.

Robin saw a man's face in his head- or, rather, a man's mask. One side was orange, and one was black, and there was only one eye. Robin briefly wondered if he could see well. Then, he wondered who the man was. He didn't look familiar, but Robin got strange feelings when he saw him. He felt respectful and dedicated, but another side of him was suspicious and hateful. The man in his head, who Robin then knew immediately, was probably the potion maker, held out his hand, as if expecting Robin to take it. Robin hesitated, but held out his hand slightly as his subconscious told him it was all in his head. Robin's body was flooded with an aching cold, and then he went numb.

And then the bioship hit the ground.

**Robin's third person POV**

He thought he was dead at first, but after a while, he decided that he was still alive. He didn't know what happened; the last thing he remembered was being in the bioship, and it crashed to the ground. He wasn't in the bioship anymore, though. He was in a chair- well, tied to a chair was more accurate. His belt was missing, and his gloves and wrist computer were gone as well. Robin hoped he still had his mask on. He rolled his head back, but found it was difficult due to a splitting headache. He looked down at his body through blurry eyes, and could make out blood stains on his clothes. He tried to shift his position, but was met with a lot of pain. He felt warm blood ooze out of cuts and gashes. He bit his lower lip, containing a scream. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he was sure he hadn't gotten proper treatment since the accident. He needed a hospital, but he didn't think he could convince his captures to take him to one. Or, rather, The Justice League.

Robin still couldn't believe it. They had tried to kill not only him, but his team. The Blue Trance must have been a lot stronger than he thought.

Robin looked around the room he was in. He was tied to a chair in the middle of a large room with seven monitors around it. He didn't recall The League having a place like this. He looked around, and saw them.

The Justice League along with Young Justice was lined up against the wall behind him. They were seated on the floor, their arms bound to the wall and their legs tied together. All of them had inhibitor collars.

The Justice League sat up right, leaning back calmly, their eyes closed as if they were mediating. They seemed to be unconscious, though: probably the potion maker's doing.

Young Justice, however, was a mess. Robin's teammates were leaning to the sides, covered in blood. Pools of red had formed around them. The teens looked pale and sickly. Their bodies looked broken, and they were struggling to breath. It was clear to the Boy Wonder that they hadn't gotten proper care either.

Robin started to panic. He didn't where they were, or who had brought them here, or why. From the layout, he was the one his captors were focused on. All this for him. All his fault. Robin started to struggle, which was very painful. He needed to get out of here, get his friends to a hospital. He didn't care what The League would do to him, he just wanted to save his friends. But they didn't care about his friends. They wanted him, and they used The League to get him. This was not asterous.

He was still struggling in a frightened and panicked frenzy when a figure came forward from the shadows. Robin heard his footsteps, and turned to glare at the figure standing in front of him. He gasped when he recognized the mask. Then, the man spoke:

"Welcome home, Red X."

**AN: So, no dialogue. Personally, I love this chapter, and I believe in being confident in my work. I'm very excited for what I have planned in the next chapter. It's when most of the things will be explained. Maybe… I'll see what I do, usually I just make stuff up, but this is going fairly well. **

**REVIEW!**


	11. Red X

Ahhhh… this is gonna be difficult. Ok, I made a list of everything so no worries. Also, sorry for any typos I was just looking over my other chapters and saw that I had quite a few. Bummer.

So yeah, I bet that you all have figured out who the masked guy is. Special thanks to all the reviewers who spoiled it. Jk, jk.

I don't plan on killing a character, good or evil, but we'll see if I change my mind. The team is injured, after all. :-D

Thanks to all who reviewed!

Chapter 11!

"Who… who are you?" Robin asked weakly. He was currently very tired, and talking drained him of the little strength he had left.

"I am not an enemy, Robin. In fact, I wish to help you." Robin could have sworn that this man was smiling behind his mask. So far, he seemed like a lunatic.

"That… that isn't… what I… what I asked." Robin's speech was becoming slurred. He struggled to stay awake. He really wanted to go to a hospital right now. He forgot all about his hatred for them. As long as he got painkillers, he would deal with it.

"Ah, yes. Well, since we will be working together for quite some time, it is only fitting you know who I am. They call me Deathstroke."

Robin didn't know of any hero who would put "death" in their name, and he instantly became wary of this masked man.

"What… what do you want?" Robin pulled in a painful breath, gathering some strength. He really felt like crying, though.

"I think I've made it very clear over the past few weeks that I want you, Robin." The young boy's blood ran cold.

"Wh-why me?" Robin asked in a small, squeaky voice. The man chuckled darkly.

"I think your little friends would want to hear too." He said. He grabbed Robin's chair and turned around to face the unconscious heroes.

"Awaken them!" Deathstroke shouted. The Justice League's eyes opened. So did the children's, but they didn't move other than that. They were injured terribly, and they knew it. The mentors looked around, shocked, then confused, and then mad. They started to struggle, but froze up all of a sudden. Deathstroke chuckled and put his hands on Robin's shoulders. Robin saw Batman tense up in pure anger, but didn't move, didn't speak. Robin realized that he couldn't. None of them could. _The Blue Trance_. He thought.

"As I was saying," Deathstroke started pacing around Robin's chair. "We are quite interested in you, Robin. You are a have a genius IQ, you're a master hacker, and exceptional acrobatic and martial artist, and you're only thirteen." Robin froze. How did he know that?

"You will make a great ally."

"Who… says I… want to… to work with you?"

"Because, Robin, I have full control over you. So, as you see, you don't really have a choice."

"The crimes…"

"Yes." Deathstroke turned to The League. "The recent crimes lately. That was all him. And the little incident at Wayne Tech, that was Robin as well. Not a clone, or a trick, or someone in a mask. It was the one, true Robin."

"But why? What… what did… you have…to… to gain from… from me…?"

"Nothing." Deathstroke said, turning on him. "Nothing at all. All these recent crimes were just a… a test run, if you will. Seeing what we could have you do." Robin struggled with all his might not to cry. "But the recent Wayne Tech murders, that was a warning. A warning to The Justice League not to stand in our way. You see, Robin, you joining us is part of a much bigger, elaborate plan. One that is not ready to be revealed yet." He gave the very ticked off Justice League a mocking look. Or, Robin assumed it was mocking. Behind him, the seven monitors lit up, revealing seven bright blurs, probably people.

"I'm sure you are aware of The Blue Trance. A member of the… board was kind enough to make it for us." Deathstroke said. Robin heard Zatara grunt in anger from next to his injured daughter across the room. He nodded.

"And I'm sure that you and Batman recall the ambush from last month…" Then it hit him. He had chased someone out there… then there was a figure… his neck stung… that was when he had been injected. "You…." Robin glared at him weakly.

"Yes. It was a setup, the entire thing. The ambush was to distract the police and Batman. It was all so I could get you alone for a while. And I must say it went rather nicely. I knew that your curiosity would get the better of you." Deathstroke bent down so his head was right near Robin's. Robin took the opportunity to try and snap at him, but Deathstroke was fast. He dodged Robin, then came back up and slapped him across the face, hard. Tears fell from Robin's eyes, and he moaned and bowed his head. The Team and The League were trying to get free, their anger getting the better of them, but it was useless. They couldn't move.

Deathstroke shook his head as he rounded Robin once more. "Tsk, tsk. You will have to learn to respect your masters, Red X. But don't worry, we will work on that. When we are done with you, you won't remember how to cry. Much less feel any emotion at all."

Robin looked up weakly. "Wh…what did…?"

"Ah, yes. Red X. That is what we call you. I'm afraid Robin won't do anymore. You see, Robin is a hero, and a very immature one at that. Yes, we have been watching you. Re X, when we are through with him, with be dedicated, loyal, cold, and merciless."

Robin was quiet and still. Yes, this guy was a certifiable psycho. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. He would rather be bleeding in a ditch instead of this chair with this rambling lunatic. He decided to keep Deathstroke talking while he figures a way out.

"How… did I… get here?"

"The League was kind enough to pull your broken bodies from the accident with the ship. We only kept them under our control in order to get to you, Red X. Now that we have what we want, they are of no use to us. A relief, really. Even when they are under our complete control, they cannot follow orders. We asked you be brought back alive and unharmed. We don't care much for the others, I'm sure some of the children over there are dead, but they could have spared the ship for the likes of you." He looked at Robin, who shuddered under his watchful eye. Robin then turned to glance at the other heroes. The mentors were awake and alert, but Robin's friends were still bleeding. Some of them had their eyes closed. Not one of them moved.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Robin asked quietly. He was surprised at how calm he sounded. He was overwhelmed. Actually, he was beyond overwhelmed.

Deathstroke sounded surprised when he answered; "Because, Red X, I believe a mentor and apprentice should learn to trust each other. There should be no secrets between us, only respect, loyalty, and faithfulness." Robin was surprised at how sure Deathstroke was. Why would he ever think that Robin would join him?

"Why on earth would I join you? I'm not like you. I didn't do those things willingly. I'm not a lunatic like you. How are you so sure I'd go along with all this?"

Deathstroke stood behind Robin, hands behind his back. He didn't hesitate when he said; "Because I can make The Justice League murder your friends right before your eyes, and then I can have them killed as well." It was the simple way he said this that Robin realized he meant what he said. He could have them killed. He had the power to do so. Even so, he would only get Robin through blackmail.

It was right then and there that Robin would have to make the most important decision of his life. Tied to a chair near a psychopath, looking into the wet eyes of his friends and family, full of pain and regret, Robin said in a quiet voice everyone heard; "Alright."

The League and The Team looked shocked and scared. Deathstroke was smiling behind his mask.

"On one condition." Robin said. "I let them go?" Deathstroke asked. The Boy Wonder nodded, and then winced at the pain. "Very well."

Deathstroke held up a remote, and pressed a button. A hole in the floor appeared under Robin, and he fell, still tied to a chair. Deathstroke turned and walked out the door, leaving the heroes alone in the monitor room, still frozen.

**In an unknown location**

"Well?" Deathstroke addressed the seven members of The Light. He had gone into their observation room, where they had watched to entire exchange.

"Let them go?" Lex Luthor asked incredulously. "We have them trapped and immobile. We can't just let them go because of a bargain."

"Agreed." Said Ocean Master. "We may never get this opportunity again."

Only Vandal Savage knew Deathstroke's true intentions. "You wish to show him The League being released, and then have our people go after them and destroy them."

"Of course." Deathstroke said. The other members of The Light exchanged glances. "By the time he finds out, he won't be human enough to care." This made the villains smile.

"And how do you propose we start with his… rehabilitation?" Queen Bee asked.

"That, I will leave to our potion maker." He looked at Klarion, who grinned evilly. "Then, when he is cleansed, I will start to work on him. When I am through, Red X will know nothing other than the orders we give him. He will be the ultimate weapon."

The Light was very pleased to hear this, very pleased indeed.

"Then let's get started, shall we?" Klarion asked, and he and Teekl left the room.

**Somewhere outside**

The Justice League slowly trudged out of the warehouse, no one making a sound. The members with protégés carried them out; they were all unconscious and bloody. Even Superman was carrying Superboy. The League had gotten lucky; they were all still breathing, but barely. Any other teen wouldn't have survived that crash, but these teens were trained to the peak, and could take a hit. This crash, however, was their limit.

They were in a valley surrounded by mountains somewhere, with no memories of how they got there. They had heard everything Deathstroke said to Robin, and were aware that they were under some kind of control, but only as pawns. He wanted Robin. But why? Nothing good, they could tell that much.

They walked on in a depressed silence. Their plan was to get as far away as possible, but only to get the children to the safety of a hospital. They would make up a story later. After The Team was safe, they would go back for Robin.

After Deathstroke had left the room, their binds had come undone. The children had fallen to the floor like rag dolls, unable to support themselves. They couldn't even move; that's how weak they were. Batman had wanted to go after him, but the others had held him back, saying that they didn't yet know what they were up against, there were injured teens present on their watch, and they needed to go back to base, replenish, and make a plan.

After one glance at Batgirl, who he wasn't surprised to see there, Batman finally agreed to go back to the base. "You have no idea how hard this is for me." Batman muttered as he picked up Batgirl, who was limp. Only Superman heard him, and threw him a sorry glance as he carefully lifted up Superboy.

Batman had hit the homing device on his belt, and the Batplane was now headed their way- wherever they were. No one knew. No one really cared.

"Gah!" Flash yelled, jumping back as an arrow landed by his feet. They turned around in time to see a mob of armed villains coming toward them. There had to be hundreds- there were average thugs, Bialyian soldiers, Manta men, Kobra- venom enhanced people, League of Shadow operatives, and heavily armed men in suits.

The League quickly placed the still, limp children into a nearby cave, and prepared for a fight.

"He tricked us." Superman said, balling his fists. "He probably had this planned from the start."

"You thought so?" Batman spat distastefully.

And the fight began.

**In a dungeon**

Robin wept silently. He had never been so scared and alone in his life. He was confused, injured, horrified, depressed and sorry. The chair had landed on its back, leaving Robin staring at the ceiling out of breath. His back killed him- actually, everything killed him. He was in the dark, and had no idea who anyone here was, or what they were going to do to him. He feared for the near future. They were going to hurt him, or worse, what if they… no! He had to stop thinking like that. It was going to be brutal, no doubt about it, but if he was going to survive with these 'people' he had to show them how strong he was. He couldn't lose himself in their evil teachings. He had to hold onto his beliefs. He knew right from wrong.

Robin had stopped crying now. His breathing had almost gone back to normal when he heard footsteps coming toward this room. He started to hyperventilate.

_Stay calm. Be brave. Don't let them break you, no matter what._

He was well aware that his body was currently broken, but he was still sane on the inside. How hard was it to keep sanity?

He would soon learn that apparently it was very hard.

The person whose footsteps he heard in the hall hadn't even entered yet when he felt pain. He started to spasm again. He noted through the pain that these footsteps were too heavy to be Deathstroke's. The potion maker, no doubt. The spasming caused his limbs, which he now knew were possibly broken, to twitch. His mind buzzed, showing him painful memories, things he wanted to forget.

_Stay calm, be brave._

The door opened.

_Don't break. Keep your sanity._

Footsteps came closer.

_You know who you are…_

_You…_

_Know…._

Footsteps stopped near him.

_Don't_

_Break_

_Stay_

_Strong_

The last thing he heard was evil laughter.

_Stay strong._


	12. Empty

What is it that no man wants to have but no man wants to lose?

Sorry, just got bored. Whoever gets it right wins!

What are the Hawks' real names in this series? Comic books are so complicated; I can't even keep up with all the name changes.

Thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter 12!

**In an unknown location**

"Well?" Vandal Savage asked Klarion as he and Teekl entered the room.

"The boy's a mess! He screamed and cried and begged, but I never stopped. He's like a broken doll. Right, Teekl?" The cat meowed in agreement.

"Good." Said Deathstroke. "Then we can begin. Now that the boy has been cleansed of all kind feelings like love and care, we can replace it with cold, murderous rage. He will be driven and loyal to The Light. He will know no other life. He will be The Justice League's downfall."

"Yes, yes, we know the plan." Ra's al Ghul said, rolling his eyes. The man was a bit off; he would ramble on and on with his confident speeches. "Just get to it, we don't have much time. We will need the boy as soon as possible. As for The Justice League, I do believe our men are getting rid of them as we speak."

"Yes." Queen Bee agreed. "The League has been weakened, and cannot stand a fight against hundreds of skilled, armed men. Especially when they have injured children with them."

"You'd be surprised." Deathstroke said.

"Enough!" The Brain exclaimed. "Pick your side, Deathstroke, and remember who you work for! As for The League, they are not invincible, and our men will return with their corpses! Now, do what we paid you for and get to work on the boy!"

Deathstroke silently left the room, his hands folded behind his back.

**In a dungeon**

The lithe figure was gone. Robin thought it would never leave. He thought it would just stand over him laughing and causing him pain until he was dead. He had spent days… was it days?... just lying on the ground, already injured and tied to a chair, with only pain. Robin knew nothing else. He stared up at the ceiling, or where he thought it was since it was dark. He didn't cry- he forgot how. He could still feel the dry tears on his face, though.

He just studied the ceiling. He felt no emotion. He compared himself to an empty cup. He felt empty, yet… sad? Was this sadness? Longing? Desperation? Regret? He knew what these were supposed to feel like, but… he didn't know. He didn't know anything.

He heard footsteps again, but these were very different from the ones before: heavier, slower, and more controlled. Robin didn't get scared. So what if the hurt him again? If he could take it the first time, then he could take it a second time too. After all, pain was part of life. Wasn't it? This confused him. At least, he thought this was what confusion felt like. He didn't know.

The door opened. A figure, this one much bigger and muscular than the last entered. Robin glanced at him blankly. The figure spoke.

"Poor Red X. You don't belong like this; you are one of us. Therefore, you will be treated like one of us." The man picked the chair up, and undid Robin's binds. He put an arm around his soldiers and helped him stand, as he legs had fractures.

"Good. Now, I will take you to your room, and we will begin our training first thing tomorrow."

"Training?" Robin's voice sounded robotic.

"Yes. You see, you are one of us. So you will be trained in our ways. I will teach you myself. I am your master, and I have always been your master. I will teach you things no one else knows; things you couldn't learn anywhere else."

"Like what?"

"You will learn how to fight the right way; how to manipulate technology to your willing; how to steal without getting caught; how to paralyze others; how to kill without feeling any guilt; how to lie and cheat, and many other things. We are your family now, Red X. You bow to The Light."

"I bow to The Light."

"Yes. And who am I?" They were walking up a column of stairs to what appeared to be a tower. The walls were made of marble and there were thin windows leading to outside.

"My master."

"Yes. I am Deathstroke. You will do exactly as I say. You know nothing else. Only me and The Light."

"Only you and The Light."

"Very good." Robin… or Red X? Yes, if this man, Deathstroke, called him Red X then he was Red X. Suddenly, Red X felt something. It was nagging in what seemed to be the back of his soul. Did he have a soul? He didn't seem to have emotions, and those usually came with a soul. So what was he feeling? It felt like… reality? Like something wasn't right. Like everything was off. That was when he heard it.

"Rob! Robin! Rob?" It was very faint. He thought he was mistaken at first. It was a voice… but where was it coming from? He then saw a window. He leaned toward it. If he looked, maybe he could see outside and put a name to that familiar voice. He was curious. Was this curiosity?

He hadn't even gotten a good look out when Deathstroke violently pulled him back. They had reached a door, which he threw Red X through. He fell to the floor in the dark room, and winced as blood began to flow from his various cuts and bruises.

"This is your room. This is your home. There is no other world than the one you live in. And you live in one where you will do what we say if you want to survive."

He closed the door, leaving Red X in the almost dark. There was light coming from behind a curtain. If he looked, maybe he could-

Red X hadn't taken one step before he passed out.

**Somewhere outside**

Kid Flash awoke in a cave somewhere. It took almost a whole minute for his memory to come back to him, and when it did, he was filled with guilt and sadness. Robin. Robin was gone. His best friend in the world was taken. No, not taken. He handed himself over. For them.

Why Robin would do that for The League, who had come close to killing them, he would never know, and Kid Flash was scared he might never get the chance to ask him. He tried to sit up, but there was a long cut in his stomach, probably a flash wound. He looked at his teammates and almost cried; they looked awful. Each one was as white as a sheet and weak. Miss Martian had small but deep gashes covering her arms, and Artemis had a long, deep one up her legs, with many other assorted bruises everywhere else. Superboy looked to be already healing, but he was unconscious. Red Arrow's arm was twisted in a sickly way, and had cuts all over his hand. Zatanna's stomach was leaking blood, and there was a gash in her arm. Batgirl had blood coming from the side of her head, and Aqualad had what looked to be burns. All of them had deep cuts, bruises, black eyes, head trauma, broken or cracked ribs, broken limbs, and fractures. Their breathing was deep and uneven. No one else moved.

Wally hauled himself up and started to breathe deeply and slowly. Due to his metabolism, he had started healing, but felt sticky and stiff. He knew whatever broken bones he had wouldn't set right, but he would worry later. He could hear fighting outside. He pulled himself up, swallowed his pain, and limped out side, doubled over.

Kid Flash looked around. There had to be hundreds of people here. But where did they come from? They fought the tired looking League with weapons, up close and long range, and hand to hand combat. So, this Deathstroke did not keep his word. Kid Flash had expected as much. While the henchmen were being distracted by The League, Wally made his way around them. The pain made it hard, but he was able to sneak around without being seen. He would find Rob, then bring him back and get his team out of here. Blue Trance or not, he felt a binding fury for the mentors and could leave them to rot for all he cared.

Kid Flash looked to the building that they had come from. It was in the middle of a lush green valley, surrounded by mountains. There seemed to be no other civilization nearby. Kid Flash glanced over his shoulder, and then turned back toward the building. It seemed to be made of stone, and was almost like a castle. There were towers and columns and walls. It looked fit for royalty.

KF started to circle the building. He saw an exceptionally tall tower, with darkened windows at the top.

"Rob! Robin! Rob?" He called. He kept circling, determined to find a way in. It was then that something whizzed by his face. Kid Flash was suddenly on the ground and someone was on top of him. Then, a few feet away, a man with a crossbow fell.

"Are you nuts?" Flash shouted as he carefully helped Wally to his feet. "You can't go running around the middle of a battle field! You're injured!"

"Not my fault." Wally said, glaring at his uncle, who looked sad. "I'm looking for Rob." His uncle placed a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder.

"No. Not now. We need to go back to the base and-"

"No! I need to find Rob! They could be hurting him! They probably are. He needs us. We can't leave him." His eyes narrowed. "Well I can't."

"Well, I can't let you run around enemy territory with blood gushing out of you. I'm really, really sorry kid. For everything."

And with that, Flash picked up his struggling nephew, and dragged him back to the cave. Wally thrashed and yelled the whole time, demanding to be let go, but Flash had an iron grip. He swerved through the battle field, with the Hawks swinging their maces at thugs, Canary using her sonic scream to knock enemies unconscious, and Batman beating the crap out of everyone he could get his hands on. It went on like this, The League using the last of their strength to fight for their lives, and to get the people that harmed them so. But these were only the pawns, and they knew it- the real culprits were hiding in their castle.

It was then that the Batplane decided to show up. Batman gave the signal, and The League retreated. They went to the cave, picked up their children, and brought them onto the large plane. It happened in almost slow motion, but also so fast. In an instant, the Batplane was carrying them away from the henchmen, the valley, the castle, Deathstroke, and Robin.

Kid Flash just sat and cried the whole way back, not letting anyone talk to him.

**AN: So, yeah, there we go. I hope I didn't repeat too much, I just wanted to stress the importance of the situation Robin is in. Not as long as I wanted but it's late.**

**REVIEW!**

**OR I WON'T UPDATE FOR A MONTH!**


	13. Strengths

Last chapter! Really, I'm dead serious. This is it for Getting Traught. Read the AN at the bottom!

Thanks for all the marvelous reviews!

The answer: a lawsuit. Well, it made _me_ laugh….

Chapter 13!

The ride on the Batplane was full of tension. The mentors spoke in low voices with each other as they tended to the injured teens. Wally had sat in a corner and didn't let anyone touch him. Now, they were all back at the cave, in the infirmary, and most of Young Justice had just woken up. They were in incredible pain, and most couldn't even sit up. However, their weak and tired bodies didn't keep them from being angry beyond what was thought possible. They hadn't said a word to The League, and just sat in their beds staring into space with blank looks, but their eyes were on fire. It was clear that they were all talking with a telepathic link, but J'onn didn't bother to find out. The adults had hurt them enough. After a few hours, Wally exploded.

"How could you! He's the youngest, a little boy, and you think you can just leave him and go back to him later? Is he really not that important to you?"

"Kid-"

"Don't 'kid' me, Barry, I'm not a kid! Let me tell you all something- he's important to me, he's important to all of us, and right now, you have no right to boss us around!"

Barry was silent. Wally had a point- first they chase them, almost kill them, and then leave one behind. The League didn't respond to Wally, especially because he was a sad, hurt teenager who was scared for his best friend. But of course, as The Justice League, they did need to take charge in these situations. For example, they couldn't let Wally get out of his bed and go save his best friend when there was a hole in his stomach.

"Wally, I know you're upset, but you're injured and you can't just get up, run half way across the world, and go up against that psychopath all by yourself." Barry scolded as he tried to get Wally to get back in his bed.

"I agree," Kaldur said. Everyone turned to stare at him. "We will go with you." He tried to get up, but winced and grabbed his arms where the worst of the burns were.

"Absolutely not." Superman said his voice full of authority. "You are all in critical condition, and you are in no shape to get up and walk around, much less fight. No one is leaving this cave until further notice." Superman looked at all the teens sternly, daring them to speak up against him. Unfortunately for him, they did.

"So, what, we just sit around and do nothing?" Artemis asked. Her leg, which was broken, had a large cast on it. She couldn't even lean forward, much less stand. "Who knows what those crazies are doing to that poor kid?"

"The League will handle this situation. Right now, you will all rest." Black Canary said.

"Where've I heard that before?" Conner muttered. Despite his quiet voice, he was really ready to kill someone.

"Oh, come on! How can you think we'll just sit here and let the likes of you all handle it?" Roy shouted. There was a very large cast on his arm, and bandages around his hand. He looked everyone on The League in the eye, but it was hard to be intimidating when you were confined to a bed.

"Could we… have a minute? Alone?" M'gann asked in a less than polite way. She was really done with the whole respect your elders thing. How can you have respect for the people who destroyed your bioship and almost killed you and your friends?

The League turned and left the room without a word. They couldn't fully understand what the children were going through, but they needed some time away from those they used to trust, who had then tried to kill them. They did plan on watching them, of course, but only because they didn't want to let them out of their sight.

"Now what?" Batgirl asked weakly. She was lying flat on her back and had thick bandages wrapped tightly around her head where she had been struck. Her arms were also wrapped up. All of the teens looked sort of like mummies right about then.

"Now, we go find Rob." Wally tried to sit up, but winced and fell back. He had to get stitches in his stomach, and had minor cuts and bruises everywhere which were covered by band aides.

"Oh? And how do you propose we do that? This stupid IV keeps me from leaving the bed, and I can't move my arm." Zatanna had to get stitches in her arm and had bandages wrapped around her torso. She couldn't sit up, much less fight.

"She's right. How are we supposed to go and fight? We don't know where we were." M'gann's cuts had been covered, and there was an IV with a strange fluid hooked up to her hand. They all had IVs and each had a different fluid pertaining to their species.

"M'gann has a point. The League is probably watching us, and there's no way they'll let us leave, not that we could." Conner shifted in his bed. He had bruised ribs and the impact of the ship hitting the ground had actually bruised him a little, but he was fine other than that.

"In case you're forgetting, we also don't have a ship." Artemis added. With each obstacle pointed out, the teens became less and less hopeful. They were helpless. Until they were healed, which could take weeks, months even, they were useless. Not that The League would let them go up against Deathstroke once they were one hundred percent again. But then again, who cared what The League told them to do?

"Great. Just perfect." Wally mumbled. "So, now what? We just leave the mission _we_ started to The League. I really don't want to let them handle this. We're involved in it more than they are!"

"How?" Barbara asked skeptically.

"I…don't know…. Oh! Because we're closer to Robin!" Wally exclaimed.

Kaldur gave a sad sigh of defeat. "Yes, but I don't think that will matter to them. Until they say so, we are out of commission." He frowned in frustration.

"I can't believe after they try to kill us, you still listen to everything they say." Wally said, scowling at Kaldur. He in turn gave Wally a sharp look.

"No. I am merely stating the obvious. It is clear we will take time to recover, but until then, we must hand this over to The League, however hard it will be for us."

"Honestly? As long as get Robin back safely, I don't see the difference. Then, when he's safe, we can all be mad at The Justice League together." Barbara stated.

Artemis chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

Red Arrow, however, was not amused. "So, just like that, we give up?"

"No. We are not giving up. We never give up. We simply cannot fight at the moment. But I promise all of you, _we_ started this mission, and we _will_ finish it and come out victorious. No one will stand in our way. The minute we are able to get back out in the field, we will go look for Robin, and bring him back ourselves. No one will say otherwise." He turned to glare at the security camera in the infirmary. "Count on it."

The League watched the whole conversation from the monitor in the main part of the cave. No one said a word while the children were talking, but after Kaldur's motivational speech, they didn't say a word. As leader, Kaldur chose what was best for his team, so they would go with his plan. Finally, Superman turned to Batman. "Well?"

"They aren't planning on making any moves for a while, so all we have to do is keep a very close eye on them all."

"And what about when they heal? What then?" Flash asked.

"Then, we let them go." Batman replied.

"What?" Black Canary exclaimed.

"Hopefully, we'll have Robin by then. If not, we'll need all the help we can get. That or you can go tell them we were spying and advice against it."

Superman sighed. "This is not a good idea."

"We aren't exactly in a good position to be telling them what to do, Clark." Superman could tell that Batman was still sour about the whole 'beating him up on his turf and then interrogating him' issue. Batman turned to leave. "I need to start investigating as soon as possible. I'll call when I get something."

"Bruce." Batman turned toward Superman. "I… hope you know what you're doing."

Batman went through the zeta beam and back to Gotham, mumbling, "So do I."

**Red X's Tower**

Red X sat in a hard, wooden chair overlooking the valleys and mountains from a large window. The sun had just set, and stars came out as the sky turned dark. He had been alone in his large and empty room that was loud with silence. Deathstroke hadn't come to see him since he was put in the tower, and he was sure the door was locked, so he just sat and thought. He didn't have much to think about though. He could only look forward to the things his master had promised to teach him. It all seemed so marvelous, and he felt proud and lucky. But… what was off? Something… didn't feel right. There was that feeling again. Red X grabbed his head and moaned. Why did it keep coming back to haunt him? Was it that important? What did it mean? Red X shook it off like he had done so many times before. He sounded like a young child, asking so many questions. He was supposed to be smart, so how could it be that he knew so much yet understood so little? What was being kept from him? He felt… strong. Like he wanted to fight. But… fight what? Or who? Once again, he remembered that voice from so far away, calling for someone. He didn't know for sure if he had actually heard a voice, or if it was in his head. And who was… Robin? That name struck a nerve. It was important, but… why couldn't he remember?

Suddenly, Red X heard footsteps. By the sound of them, he was sure it was Deathstroke. Red X forgot his thoughts and endless questions and stood up. Would they train now?

Deathstroke opened the door and stepped into the room. "Ah, Red X, how are you adjusting to your new room?" He asked.

"It's… good." Was all the masked man got. "Are we going to train now?"

Deathstroke chuckled darkly. "No. But soon, I promise you, my young apprentice, we will begin soon."

"Oh. Okay." Red X went to sit back in his chair and looked out the window.

"I know that you may feel slightly… out of place here, but I assure you that you belong here with us."

"Us?"

"Yes. Us. And you will learn our ways, and we will become feared and powerful. All will know of The Light."

"The Light."

"Yes. Very good, Red X."

"Thank you, master."

"You're welcome. Now, get some rest. Tomorrow, we begin, and you will feel your adrenaline rushing, the endorphins, and the power and fulfillment that comes with drawing the blood of others."

"Yes master." Red X looked out the window thoughtfully.

"What troubles you?"

"I…" Red X looked at Deathstroke nervously. "I've been feeling strange. Like, I don't belong here, like something's wrong." Deathstroke approached Red X and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There is nothing wrong. You belong here. You will discover that for yourself soon enough."

"But- yes, master."

"Very good. Good night, Red X."

"Ah, good night?"

And with that, Deathstroke was gone, and Red X was once again alone.

He turned to stare at the night sky, thinking he should follow orders and go to bed before his master found out and he got in trouble. But he found himself thinking of the voice he heard, calling for Robin. Red X closed his eyes. He heard the faint, desperate, pain filled voice calling in the back of his mind. Finally, Red X's eyes flew open, and he said one word:

"Wally."

**AN: Well, that's it people. I have officially completed my first fan fic ever. YAAAYYY MEEEEE! Anyway, keep checking in for the sequel. I'll think of a title later.**

**REVIEW!**


End file.
